The Cry From Within
by MasterBibeau17
Summary: Set before Episode 1, two younglings, Protenuus and Arrotesdus, arrive at the Jedi Temple for the first time. In a suprising attack, the Jedi Temple is destroyed by the Sith Empire, who were believed to be extinct. Arrotesdus, over time, slowly loses faith in the Jedi Order and leaves. Protenuus lives on his own in the Temple and, over time, discovers the true Nature of the Force.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

The Light, The Dark: The Force is believed to be comprised of two sides by many. At least, that's what I believed when I first traveled to the Jedi Temple on Coruscant. I was just a young, foolish kid wanting to become a Jedi. You could imagine my excitement when I discovered I was Force Sensitive. I remembered the day as if I was a child again.

I was with my friend, Arrotesdus. Actually, at that point, he was my adopted brother. We were in an open field on Dantooine. Green was seen everywhere and the grass was taller than us. The air was light, gently swaying the blades of the grass. We liked to play hide and seek because we could never find each other. We were so small compared to the grass. It was easy to lose your way when you were Arrotesdus and I's size. My parents always warned us to not venture too far off because cliffs were nearby. Arrotesdus didn't care though.

"Come on, Protenuus!" Arrotesdus yelled somewhere in the field.

"Where are you?" I searched everywhere for the voice, but I couldn't find him.

"Just follow my voice." The voice started to grow louder and louder. The air felt much more open though. The grass was starting to disappear too. As the grass disappeared altogether, I almost ran into Arrotesdus.

"Woah careful. You almost pushed me over." Arrotesdus laughed, pushing back away from the cliff.

I gasped, "Mom will kill us if she finds us here."

Arrotesdus laughed at that remark. I looked over to see his warm, blue skin. He was Pantoran of course. Whenever someone heard we were brothers, they knew instantly we were adopted because I was a human. That never bothered us though. We might as well been biological brothers.

"You got to live a little, man. Just look at the view." Arrotesdus motioned his arm to the cliff. I couldn't help but agree with him. The cliff was dangerous but beautiful. There was so much space between the two sides that not even a Jedi jumping at his full strength could reach the other side. The bottom was even farther apart from the top than the two sides were separate.

In fact, the cliff was so huge that I couldn't even see the bottom. My curiosity made me want to find the bottom. I leaned over as far as I could, almost to the point of falling over. If I could just get close enough, maybe I could see the bottom. There already seemed to be some light reflecting off the bottom.

I exclaimed, "I think I see the bottom."

"Sure you do. I don't think there even is a bottom."

My brother merely laughed at my excitement. He was wrong though. The bottom was there, a rough, dry set of land. It even seemed to be moving, or some animal was moving.

"Arrotesdus, there's something moving down there!"

"No, there isn't. You can't even see the bottom."

He was really beginning to bother me. "Why don't you look and you'll see." I looked over at him.

Arrotesdus was inching closer and closer to the grass, which wasn't far. The cliff was only big enough for two people to stand. If either us moved slightly off, we would both fall. I could tell he was getting nervous about being this close to the cliff. "I thought you said I need to live a little." I sneaked a grin on the corner of my mouth.

My brother sighed, "I just wanted to get you to see it. I didn't think you'd fall in love with it." His feet were starting to disappear in the grass. It was surprising: his fear was encouraging me more to get closer to the edge. With my increased courage, I leaned over to see the drop. The drop was beyond steep. I couldn't stand on the any part of the drop if I wanted to. It was as if the edge was a small piece of rock glued to the side.

"How can this edge even hold us?" My body, excluding my leg of course, was completely over the edge.

Arrotesdus nervously stepped towards me. "Careful, you're not a Jedi. You can't miraculously save yourself from falling."

I responded, "Maybe one day. We still have time to find out if we're Force Sensitive." Arrotesdus responded the usual by laughing.

"Funny. We should've known after we were born. Not even your parents think we're Force Sensitive. Face it. Our dream of becoming Jedi is just a dream."

Arrotesdus came over and shook me while he said that last line. I wouldn't believe him though. The only thing in life that mattered to me was being a Jedi. To be able to live by the Will of the Force and keep peace in this galaxy.

"We can be the ultimate good, Arrotesdus. I'm never gonna give up on that dream."

"You're such a child."

I scoffed at that comment. We were technically kids, about five years old. It was just about the age when kids traveled to the Jedi Temple to start their training. Usually, kids discovered if they were Force Sensitive by now. Often, babies would lift various objects in mid air without even touching, confirming they are Force Sensitive. The Jedi would know somehow and come to take us to the Jedi Temple. First, we had to discover our sensitivity. If we were going to discover if we were Force Sensitive, the day would be today.

I glanced over at the bottom of the cliff. I felt like I belonged there: I couldn't use the Force and my chance of living my dream was really close to an end. My future was dark, like the bottom of the cliff. A movement down at the bottom of the cliff shocked me out of my trance. The thing causing the movement had a different texture than the ground. It seemed softer and more like a deliberate pattern.

"Did you see that?" I turned my head over to Arrotesdus. He had joined me on the edge of the cliff, probably in a trance like me.

"Yeah, what was that?" He and I both glanced over. Arrotesdus was leaning completely over the edge, using me for support. All of a sudden, a huge whoosh of air hit us in the face. Wings and a blur of a body flew above us into the sky. Arrotesdus lost his grip on me and started to fall towards the bottom.

"Arrotesdus!" My body went into autodrive. He was too far away to grab, but, nonetheless, I reached out for him. What happened next will always stay in my memory.

A feeling passed through my entire body. It was light but heavy at the same time. The feeling was comforting. I was so captured by it that I almost ignored Arrotesdus. Arrotesdus was hovering in midair. _He couldn't be hovering, that is impossible._ Arrotesdus stared at me in shock, which I didn't understand. "I can't believe it." He stuttered. Just then, I realized my hand was still out.

"This can't-this can't be."

My mouth was moving all on its own. I started to move my hand around and Arrotesdus' body followed the movement perfectly. I moved my hand back and placed Arrotesdus on the ground.

I had just used the Force. I was and am Force Sensitive. We both stood there motionless, processing what happened. I swallowed hard and slowly. Arrotesdus sat there with a deep complexion. He was still bothered from almost falling to his death. My eyes caught Arrotesdus, and we both smiled.

Just like that, I came out of the past. I was back in my small room in the Jedi Temple. I was a young man, but I was still clean shaven. If my face hadn't developed, someone could mistake me for my younger self. I opened my eyes to end my meditation session. Meditation time was over, and it was time to train with my master, Obsarius.

Training was more important now than ever. The Sith, ancient enemies of the Jedi, had returned. In a swift, unprecedented attack, the Sith Empire destroyed Coruscant and a majority of the Jedi Temple. I had just arrived at the Temple a couple days before with Arrotesdus, who had discovered he was Force Sensitive a couple days after me.

Arrotesdus and I couldn't wait to go the Jedi Temple to train. The Sith's attack made us realize our dream of becoming a Jedi would happen sooner. We didn't realize, however, what war really meant. The Force would lose its balance. Peace would just be a false reality.

Arrotesdus and I didn't care about that. We just wanted to be Jedi. At first, we were happy, completely oblivious to the conflict just outside our new home. I would always ask Arrotesdus about being a Jedi. He would always respond in his quiet, bothered self by shrugging and smiling.

"Yeah, it's great." Arrotesdus would say.

Eventually, however, our happiness disappeared. The Jedi Masters only cared about ending this war. They started to meditate less and, as a result, pay less attention to the Force. We weren't training to become Jedi Masters; we were training to become soldiers.

I tightened my fist at that last thought. I got up and walked to the training room. As the door opened, Obsarius, my master, smiled and walked over.

"Good morning, my young Padawan. Are you ready for today's training?"

I responded with a question that's been bugging me, "Yes, master. I have a question first."

"Of course. Ask away."

"Do you think this war is severing our connection to the Force?"

Obsarius frowned at the question. He took a while to answer. When he finally did, his response was the usual one. "The Jedi Council has affirmed to us that the Sith are evil. If we are to have peace, which is the ultimate goal of the Jedi, we must defeat the Sith Empire. This war is just. The Force does have a Dark Side, but it must never be used."

I shifted a little. "If we are to truly follow the Force, we should look at all its parts."

Obsarius stepped closer. "Just because there is more than one part doesn't mean it deserves the same attention. The Light side is the true part of the Force." Not wanting to start an argument, I agreed with him, "Yes, Master."

Obsarius always followed the Jedi Council's orders. I didn't know much of Obsarius before he came to the Temple. The only fact known to me was he didn't have much as a child. When he came to the Temple, Obsarius found a home and followed the Masters as if they were his parents. I guessed he answered my questions in the same way for that reason.

I walked over to the center of the room. The room was open, no seats or anything. I ignited my lightsaber, filling the room with green highlights. As the lightsaber brightened the room, the lights already light darkened. An image of a soldier appeared. He was wearing the usual Sith military uniform: blue shirt and pants designed for battle; a white, square backpack containing essentials; and a standard blaster rifle with a sword attached at the end. He charged straight at me. I sidestepped as he ran past me. The figure turned around and swiped at me. I swung my lightsaber across the sword, cutting it in half. Swinging my lightsaber at the soldier's chest, he fell to the ground.

Behind me, two more figures, one holding a riot blade, which could block a lightsaber attack, charged at me. One, while running, shot several fires at me. _Swing left, Block low, Block middle._ Each shot flew off in the distance. As the last shot flew off my blade, the riot soldier jousted his blade. I spun my body to avoid the blade. _Swing down._ The soldier's leg hung on its knee. Still fighting, he spun around on one leg and swung the blade towards my shoulder. My lightsaber caught the blade in the middle, filling the room with a green, yellow blend of color. As my focus was on the riot soldier, the other soldier behind me shot two more fires. I pushed my lightsaber off the riot soldier and ducked. The two fires both knocked the riot soldier to the floor. I turned around and rose towards the final soldier. I ran at him, blocking every hopeless shot he fired at me. Reaching him, I stabbed my lightsaber into his chest.

The rest of the training session continued for one standard hour. Rounds and rounds of soldiers continued to attack me, but I remained untouched by the end of the session. Obsarius filled the room with laughter.

"Wonderful job, my apprentice. You should be ready in no time for the trials."

He was talking about the trials for becoming a Jedi knight, of course. To become a Jedi, several steps had to be met. First, one travels to the Jedi as a youngling. At that stage, we had just been introduced to the Force. As we grow at the Temple, the next stage is a Padawan. A Padawan serves under a Jedi Knight, learning more about the Force. A Jedi Knight assists the Padawan in growing in the Light Side, and the Padawan teaches the Jedi Knight. To become a Jedi Knight, one has to take the trials. The trials aren't spoken of to the Younglings or the Padawans. Younglings and Padawans aren't to know what happens in the trials, so as to prevent any kind of cheating.

The final and most coveted stage is a Jedi Master. Jedi Masters are the leaders of the Jedi Order and the most powerful in the Light Side. The most strongest and wisest of the Masters serve on the Council. The Council dictates how the Jedi act in certain situations. They search through the Force for answers, according to Jedi teachings. Obsarius was still a Jedi Knight, and I was his Padawan.

"Your skills are some of the best I have seen in years. The only skills I saw that matched were your friend's. It's a shame he isn't here today." My thoughts raced back to Arrotesdus.

As you already know, we were both happy entering into the Jedi Order. As time passed, Arrotesdus started to lose his once active self. He was becoming more and more distant. I could never understand why. Whenever I tried to talk about the Jedi Order, he grew restless.

"They're not as good as you think. They don't follow the Force." Arrotesdus said to me. I dismissed what he was saying as ridiculous. I always saw the Jedi as the true wielders of the Force.

One day, Arrotesdus told me something unbelievable. "I'm leaving the Jedi Order." He walked up to me out of nowhere. Without saying another word, he walked away. I wanted to think he was just joking or I dreamed it all. The same night, he wasn't in his room or anywhere in the Jedi Temple.

I went to see the Master of the Jedi Council, Master Sectillo. "Master, where is Arrotesdus?" Sectillo would stare at the ground.

"He has chosen a different path."

Sectillo has bothered me ever since that day. He didn't know Arrotesdus like I did. He didn't grow up with him. Arrotesdus' path was to become a Jedi. For whatever reason he left, it was a life changing one. One day, I would find the truth.

I agreed with Obsarius and left the room. As I walked back to my room after the training session, I saw Sectillo walking towards me. He was slowly, leaning on his cane as he shifted his feet. Sectillo was a very small man, barely taller than my knees. He had a green body and point ears, but no one knew his species. There was no recording in the databanks of a small, green species.

"Good morning, Protenuus." Sectillo smiled as he saw me.

My thoughts about Arrotesdus caused me to ask, "Master, can I talk to you about Arrotesdus?"

Sectillo looked at me. He said, "Perhaps tomorrow. That way we can have more time to talk about it." I agreed and Sectillo walked away.

Thinking about what to say tomorrow, I entered my room. It was already dark outside but not too late. I sat down in my meditation position. I always found myself thinking about the past in my meditation. Meditation was the most effective way to connect to the Force. The Force kept me calm. It was a mysterious substance, almost like another living thing. I always felt it was with me, whether in a darker or lighter form. When I felt angry, I could feel a darkness fill me. When I was calm, a light filled me. Tonight, a darker substance was shadowing me. I closed my eyes and went back into my meditation, thinking about Arrotesdus in the Jedi Order.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

If I opened my eyes slowly enough, I could see the effect my meditation had on the room. Various objects were floating in the air. One of the objects, my lightsaber, was suspended in front of me. The construction of a lightsaber was astounding to me. I was taught that, when making our lightsaber, I would have to trust in the Force. The Force would tell me how my lightsaber would be created.

When in the lightsaber construction room, or ship rather, I closed my eyes. A light, but heavy feeling passed through me. I felt so immersed in the Force that time didn't exist. When I opened my eyes, I saw a new lightsaber in front of me. A little hole in the middle opened. Reaching into my pocket, I placed a kyber crystal I found into the lightsaber. I closed the hole and a green blade emerged from the saber. Arrotesdus, who was with me, was holding a blue lightsaber. We both stared at our lightsabers in joy. Well, Arrotesdus seemed to, or he was in trance staring at the blue blade.

We both found our kybers in an ice cave, like every Jedi before us. It is ancient Jedi tradition to travel to an ice planet to get our kyber crystals. On this planet, kyber crystals grow naturally and give a perfect trial for younglings to find their crystals. Arrotesdus and I agreed to stay together in the ice cave that held our kyber crystals. Our promise would eventually be broken after we got lost in one of the many pathways. The farther we went into the cave, the darker it got. "If only we already had our lightsabers, we could see where we're going." Arrotesdus remarked. I shook my head.

"Finding our kyber crystals to make our lightsaber is the whole reason we're in here." Arrotesdus looked at me, or rather in my direction.

"Yeah, yeah, let's just keep looking."

We walked for awhile longer. The air started to pick up in speed. We were being pulled deeper into the darkness. Arrotesdus and I could barely see where our feet were walking.

"I think we're getting to an open space."

I started to get very eager. Ignoring the space around us, I lost my footing. A hole cracked wide open directly below me, gravity pulling me down to the next low level. "Protenuus!" Arrotesdus reached out, but it was too late. I had already gone out of sight. I didn't fall for long, however.

 _Boom!_ My back slammed the ground. "Agh!" I grabbed my back, trying to absorb the pain. I laid there for awhile. My back was still too damaged to move. Eventually, a light started to glimmer in the corner of my eye. I looked over, still on the ground, and saw a crystal-like reflection of light.

I jumped off the ground, unaware of my damaged back, and ran to the spot. A kyber crystal was in the ice, exposed enough to be grabbed for whoever discovered it. "This must be my crystal." I muttered to myself and grabbed the crystal.

It was smaller than I expected. The crystal felt like a part of me. I could feel the Force flow through the crystal and into me. The crystal almost seemed alive. We were connected.

As I observed the crystal, the light in the cave darkened even more. Master Sectillo, who came with us to the cave, said that the cave would freeze over at night time. We could tell if the light darkened even more than its natural state. I couldn't wait for the morning or the entrance to the cave to melt over again: the planet was too far from the Core and its Star. The door only melted once a year and one could only leave the Cave once a year.

I knew it was time for me to find my way out. The problem was I didn't know where I was. My mind raced as I imagined being stuck in an ice cave for a whole year. How would I survive? There was no food in this place. At least, I couldn't eat anything in the cave. I had only a coat on to keep me warm temporarily. What do I do?

The answer came to me as a small glimmer of light reflected off the kyber: The Force is my ally. I sat down and closed my eyes. Unable to explain, I chose the leftmost path in front of me. As I traveled down the path, I ran into Arrotesdus, who was breathing very deeply.

"Protenuus! What happened? Is that a kyber crystal?" He looked into my hands, seeing the glimmering of light.

I smiled, "Yeah, I guess I was meant to fall down that hole."

Arrotesdus smirked, "I guess so. I still haven't found mine yet."

"But we barely have any more time left! I'll help you." I ran with him in a path to our right.

We had just entered the cave when Arrotesdus reached his hand to stop me running. "Do you see that?" He pointed to the ground in front of us. All I saw was darkness and a patch of ice. Arrotesdus knelt down and, out of nowhere, grabbed a shimmering crystal. "What the-" I had no idea how he found it.

Arrotesdus smiled at me. "Let's get back to the entrance before we get stuck in here."

"Good idea."

I ran back with him to the entrance. We were almost at the freezing door when we started to hear Master Sectillo exclaim, "Hurry up, younglings!" I went into a full out sprint. The entrance was almost frozen over, just like it was when we first arrived on the planet. Out of the corner of my eye, a small glimmer of light shone next to the entrance. My feet stopped, almost slipping from the nearly frictionless ice floor. The glimmer was strong and brighter than the other crystal I found.

I ran to the light, seeing another kyber crystal. Arrotesdus, ignorant of what I was doing, jumped through the small hole of the entrance. I reached down and picked up the kyber crystal. "I don't understand. I already found my crystal." In Jedi teachings, Jedi are to only have and need one kyber crystal. Our only weapon was a lightsaber and a lightsaber only needed one kyber crystal, but this crystal was different. The way the Force flowed through it was irregular: sometimes it was just heavy, other times it was light, unlike the other kyber crystal I had. I felt stronger with this crystal, too. The Force was much more concentrated in the crystal.

The entrance was merely a pin of light passing through the entrance at this point. The ice still seemed weak enough for me to break through. I put the other kyber crystal in my pocket and ran through the ice. I fell to the ground, tripping over the ice bits I broke. My back tightened as my chest hit the ground, reminding me of my fall earlier. Arrotesdus ran to me and helped me up. "Where'd you go? I ran through the entrance and didn't see you anywhere." Feeling the spare crystal move around in my pocket, I decided to lie.

"Uh, I tripped. Couldn't see where I was going." I laughed.

Arrotesdus smirked, "Clumsy." I grinned.

It was always in Jedi history that we would only find one kyber crystal in the cave. For whatever reason I found this crystal, it wasn't a good one. I decided it was better to just to act like I never found the crystal. Plus, I liked this crystal. The Jedi may take it if I admit the truth.

Today, I used the first crystal I found in the cave. Even on that day, I don't know the color that would emit from the other crystal. I keep it in one of my few drawers in my room. I ignited my lightsaber starting at the green hue. I was lost in the possibility of the color the other crystal had. Maybe all my thoughts were ridiculous; the other crystal could be green just like this one. Green was an interesting color, so strong and so bright. If I looked hard enough, I could see a hint of yellow in the blade.

My trance got interrupted by the realization I was meeting with Master Sectillo. I turned the blade off and got up. Before I left, however, I opened up my top drawer. Reflecting light, the kyber crystal laid in the middle, alone in the drawer. I felt it calling to me, just like the first kyber crystal did. I closed the drawer again and left the room.

The trip to the Council room was a long one, but it felt like seconds. I was ready to talk about my brother. I opened the door and found Sectillo sitting in the main seat, waiting for me. The rest of the room was empty. Sectillo raised his pointy, green ears at the sound of my arrival. He looked at me.

"Good morning, Protenuus! Did you sleep well last night?"

I responded, "To be honest, Master, I don't really sleep. I do more of a meditation."

I really don't sleep. I find the time useful in meditating. In meditation, I'm practically one with the Force, outside of my body. My body was a part of the living Force. In my meditation, I felt one with the Force but in a different way. This part of the Force wasn't the same as the living Force. It felt stronger and more binding. Whenever I finished the meditation, I was as refreshed as if I slept a whole night's rest.

Sectillo nodded his small, green head. "That's good. As Jedi, we need to always listen to the Will of the Force. Please, have a seat." He motioned to the seat next to me. Sighing, he said, "I knew one day you had to hear the truth. About your friend, of course." I stared at him, waiting for him to speak again. Noticing it, Sectillo asked, "Do you know why Arrotesdus left the Order?" I shook my head.

Sectillo began, "Protenuus, I want you to understand something before I tell you why. The Jedi believe in peace. We do everything possible to maintain peace. That's why it's a Jedi's duty to not form attachments." I nodded my head to keep him going. "You remember the Jedi code?" I nodded my head again. "Why don't I just say it again. That way you don't lose your thought after I tell you what happened."

" _There is no emotion, there is peace. There is no ignorance, there is knowledge. There is no passion, there is serenity. There is no chaos, there is harmony. There is no death, there is the Force."_

Sectillo looked at me after saying the Code. He wanted to make sure I understood what it meant, I believe.

I frowned, "Master, what does this have to do with Arrotesdus? He believed in the Code just like us."

Sectillo shook his head. "Arrotesdus was adopted, yes?" I shook my head yes. "Do you ever wonder why he was adopted?"

"Well, no. I never asked because I didn't think he wanted to talk about it." Sectillo analyzed me.

"How did he come to be your adopted brother?" I went back into my mind.

"Well, we were always good friends. We hung out every day. We were neighbors. One day, while it was raining, I heard a loud noise in Arrotesdus' house. I ran in and found him kneeling next to a body, his father's body actually." Sectillo was silent for a while after that.

He swallowed hard. "Do you know how he died?" I looked back to the painful memory.

"There was a lightsaber wound across his chest. I always thought it was a Sith who killed him." Sectillo shook his head, looking at the ground.

"Well, yes. A Sith did kill him. At that time, another self-declared Dark Lord of the Sith was in war with the Jedi. Near the end of the war, he fled to a distant planet, to your planet, Dantooine. Arrotesdus' father, who was a friend of the Jedi, tried to stop him. I'm sure you can figure out the rest."

I started to grow angry. My best friend lost his family because of the Sith. But at the same time, I knew there was more to the story. Arrotesdus' view on Jedi wouldn't make sense then. His line, "They're (the Jedi) not as good as you think", doesn't agree with the story. He would've seen the Jedi as good, trying to stop the Sith from hurting anyone else. The Sith's killing didn't make entire sense either, even though it's in their nature to kill. Even the Sith are people, not pure evil. Sectillo was sensing my anger.

"Calm, Protenuus. Remember: Jedi must not form attachments. That extends even to you. Arrotesdus may have been your friend, but he isn't any more. The only attachment we Jedi do have is with the Force." I looked over at Sectillo. He spoke without any emotion in his voice.

"Master, there's more to the story." Sectillo raised his eyebrows.

"I told you what you needed to know."

I rose up and walked out the room, refusing to even say goodbye to Sectillo. I chose to practice my fighting skills more instead of meditate. The Jedi taught me to meditate, but there was no desire to meditate then. It seems fighting pretend Sith soldiers was the best thing to do in that moment. I walked into the room, devoid of any life besides me. I walked to the computer, scanning for options in who to fight. I scrolled down to the Sith soldier button. I didn't press the button, however. A deep anger inside me denied me from doing so.

I scrolled down further to the very bottom and pressed the button for Sith Master. I walked to the center of the room. In front of me, a black robed figure, wearing a red mask, stood in front of me. Deep inside, I could almost see the figure in Arrotesdus' house that night. I felt the Force move heavily, and darkly. My anger was building to a tipping point. I ignited my lightsaber and rose it in front of my face, waiting for my opponent to do the same. Like a dance, the Sith Lord repeated my movement. We charged at each other.

Sith Masters are completely different foes than any other enemy. They're able to calculate your next move before you do; Sith could move quickly, like Jedi, requiring a quick opponent to stay in battle with them. The most dangerous part of a Sith was their tenacity. Unlike Jedi, they completely gave in to emotion, especially anger. Using their emotion, they could pound you to the ground. Even worse, you had to do your best not to get angry yourself. One of the main tactics of a Sith is to unsettle you in battle. In doing so, you leave yourself open to attack.

This hologram Sith couldn't speak luckily. The computer modification wasn't coded with the right software. The Sith and I charged at each other. Our lightsabers caught each other between us. The room was highlighted with red and green. I stared at the animation in front of me. _He killed Arrotesdus' father._ I didn't care if he really was an animation. I knew, now, that the way Arrotesdus' father died, whether Sectillo told the truth or not, caused him to leave the Order. Right now, I could only trust Sectillo's story as the truth. I flung my lightsaber to the Sith's right and left and right. I was purely on the offensive. The Sith continued to step back. All he could do was catch my lightsaber's movement before it touched him.

 _Swing right. Swing low. Stab right._ The Sith bent his wrist, causing his lightsaber to catch mine next to his shoulder. Intertwined, our lightsabers pushed each other back and forth. Suddenly, my opponent grabbed my arm, causing our lightsabers to lose contact with each other. Even though he wasn't really there, I could feel the figure's anger grow. The Sith swung my arm to the side and thrusted his lightsaber at my chest. Inches from my heart, the lightsaber stopped. I had caught his arm just in time.

We both let go and jumped back. The hologram was moving slowly and precisely. We walked around the room, causing an imaginary circle. Our lightsabers were up, covering our faces in the blade's color. We stopped with the Sith's back to the door. I charged at him, throwing my lightsaber to disrupt his focus. The lightsaber bounced off his red blade. Reaching my arm out, the lightsaber flew back in my hands and caught the Sith's. Our blades pushed each other. Seeing a weakness, I kicked the Sith in the knee, throwing off his balance, and he fell to the ground.

Seeing an opportunity, I swung my lightsaber. The Sith rose his lightsaber in a sad attempt to block my blow. Although the block was successful in keeping him unscathed, the same can't be said for his weapon. The lightsaber's handle cut in two and caused the blade to disappear. Filled with anger, I stabbed the Sith repeatedly. Eventually, the figure disappeared, reminding me the opponent was just an animation.

"Careful there, my apprentice. You may make a hole in the ground."

I turned around to see Obsarius leaning against the door. He had a wide grin across his face.

"Hello, master." Obsarius walked into the room and took a deep breath.

"Unfortunately, I won't be able to help you in your training anymore. Tomorrow, I will be joining a Republic legion in a very important battle. The Sith have been disrupting our hyperspace routes near Coruscant. If we win this battle, the end of the war will be so much closer." I didn't know what to say, so instead, I reached out my hand.

"I wish the best of luck, Master." Obsarius nodded and shook my hand.

"And I wish the best of luck in the trials."

Obsarius smiled one last time and walked away. Obsarius' departure had distracted me enough to lose my anger. I turned off the simulation and went back to my room. Before I knew it, the day had turned into night. I had to know what would happen to Obsarius, but I knew I couldn't. _Always trust in the Force_ , I thought. I kneeled down and went back into a deep meditation.

I didn't relive the past this time. Visions of blasters, ships colliding, and a red lightsaber filled my thoughts. The perceptions were too blurry and quick to be discernable. The last vision, however, of the red lightsaber was slow enough to see.

I was on my back in a hangar bay, a large one. Fires surrounded me. To my right, I could see my lightsaber, just far enough out of reach. Outside, in space, a massive battle was taking place, but in front of me, a figure was holding a red lightsaber, risen above his head. The figure was wearing a hood, masking part of his face. Underneath the mask, I could see part of the face. Bathed by red light, a furious face with blue skin was staring at me, about to strike me down.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

I didn't wake up as calmly and slowly as yesterday. I swung my body up. My breathing was irregular; I couldn't calm myself down. The blue hooded figure kept replaying over and over in my head. Even though I couldn't see his whole face, the figure's face was still recognizable. _It can't be him._ I only knew one man that had the same blue face as in the vision. but I hadn't seen him since he left the Order. For all possibilities, he could be dead. _The Force has never been wrong._ I've never seen visions of the future. In all my meditations, I replayed the past of when I was a child.

Why would I suddenly see a vision from the future? Could the Force be trying to tell me something? Warn me about the future? Was the vision true?

I reentered the real world by a bright beam emitting from the window. The yellow temporarily blinded my eyes, causing me to reimagine the vision. The red lightsaber burned its light into my eyes. I was sweating, trying to register what was about to happen. The hooded figure looked at me, observing his prey. His mouth moved, and I was barely able to register what he was saying. "You were wrong. You were always wrong."

My eyes widened at their widest point as a red slash blinded my dream eyes. Just as in the dream, I was sweating. My clothes were starting to get damp. My legs were trembling, unable to move voluntarily. My mind begged for them to move, but they were too unsettled by the vision.

Eventually, I was able to make my legs move. By that time, it was already mid-afternoon, and the training sessions had been completed. The main halls of the Jedi Temple were empty, excluding the every now and then traveler. I nodded as they passed by, but my thoughts continued to dwell on the vision. This time, I was analyzing my surroundings. Most of the terrain was blocked by bundles of fire bursting here and there.

The fire was growing from destroyed ships. They were most likely trying to take off but were fired down. Either that, or they crash landed. Surrounding the ships were bodies. All the dead had burnt lightsaber marks across their bodies. My attention was brought to the outside of the ship. Blasters, green and red, flew by. A small, B wing class ship sped by the opening of the ship. _I'm in a battle._

Was the Force telling me to avoid the battle? Or was it trying to tell me something else? How soon in the future was this vision?

I wasn't qualified or prepared to go to battle. If I passed the trials, I would surely be able to fight, but trials wouldn't be held for at least another standard week. Was the fight going to happen in a week? The Force wasn't telling me everything, just like Sectillo about Arrotesdus.

I needed some fresh air. _Maybe that could calm my thoughts._ I walked down the rest of the main hall to the exit on the side, greeted with a wave of bright light, even though the day was starting to get darker. A small seat was near the Force tree, a native of Coruscant for many years. In fact, the Jedi Temple was built, in part, on this spot because the Force tree was here.

Nature was so beautiful. It was so powerful and amazing. To think a tree could grow on its own, with no help from an intelligent species, was astounding. All the tree would need is some rain and some sun. The tree didn't need a lot of noise either. The entire planet could be silent, missing wind and storms, and the tree could still stand there, one with the Force.

Ironically, the rest of the planet didn't resemble nature at all. High in the sky, transportation ships flew here and there. The whole organization was rather awful. If we at least had lines or different traffic lanes, ships wouldn't almost crash every second. People just drove their ships in frenzies. If someone took their attention off for one second, dozens of ships would crash.

What was worse than the ships was the city itself. Everywhere bottomless skyscrapers extended to the tip of the sky. All the buildings looked like they were made yesterday, too. Traveling to Coruscant the first time, I thought the buildings would stop at the ground. I was completely wrong.

The city, on the surface, spread throughout most of the planet. That only made for half of the size of the planet, or even less. Below the planet's surface, hundreds of levels extended downwards. At the very bottom, level one, an ancient Sith temple existed. This was the second reason for why the Jedi Temple was made here. Directly below the Jedi Temple, the Sith Temple dwelled in the dark on level one. The Jedis built the Temple here to signify the end of the Sith Empire after the last Jedi-Sith War.

The meaning was meaningless after we discovered the Sith still existed. We used to believe the Sith were extinct; the galaxy was in a millennium of peace. The Jedi searched wide and far, even on the Sith's homeworld of Korriban, with the hopes of finding nothing. Obviously, the Jedi didn't find anything. All that remained of the Sith were the artifacts they left behind, we believed. The only discovery made on the planet was the darkness consuming it. We expected this, after all, since the Sith originated on this planet and ruled for many, many years. The hopes and dreams of a galaxy without the Sith vanished on the day of the Battle of Coruscant.

The day was peaceful and calm, like any other day. As you know, Arrotesdus and I had just arrived at the Temple a couple days before. Jedi Masters came and introduced themselves to us, wishing the best in our training. About the time when the sun begins to set, we, the younglings, were told to go to our rooms and not come out until told so. I looked for Arrotesdus, but he seemed to already reach his room.

The whole event was really frightening and rather quick. I looked behind my shoulder as I went to my room. A ship, somewhat big, was flying towards the Jedi Temple. By the looks of it, the ship was moving very quickly with no indication of stopping or slowing down. At the entrance of the Temple, two Jedi masters, both who had just introduced themselves to us, were facing a hooded figure. The individual was big, for a human size, and completely masked his face with the hood of his cloak. Next to him, a Twi'lek woman was holding a gun, back-to-back with the huge man. The ship behind them was moving at full speed now.

At full force, the ship collided into the door to the Jedi Temple. The Ship stopped just inches from the two individuals, a loud creaking sound as it did so. The door to the ship opened and, inside, at least a dozen Sith lords, all of their lightsabers ignited, charged at the Jedi. The Twi'lek and her companion, another Sith lord, joined in the fight. That was all I saw as I ran into my room, accompanied by a Pydyrian jedi.

The City was burning to the ground after the attack. We had lost at least half of the Jedi at the Temple, and the rest were shocked at the attack's outcome. Arrotesdus didn't seem too fazed by the attacks. He was walking around the main hall, looking at the destruction. We would receive word later that the Sith had attacked the outposts around Korriban and regained the planet. War had founds its way back to the galaxy, as well as the Sith. The Force was already beginning to lose its light.

The City was peaceful for being in a time of war. I sat there, next to the tree, wondering if the conflict would ever truly end. Would there be a day when the Jedi and the Sith didn't battle? Why was the Force and its allies so divided into two camps?

The conflict didn't make complete sense. The Sith had a massive Empire deep in space. Why couldn't they remain in their own domain while the Jedi stayed in theirs?

My thoughts dragged on for hours. By the time I concluded thinking, the day had once again become night. I wasn't feeling tired at all. In fact, I was beginning to feel a great sadness in the Force. A small light in the Force had disappeared, but the essential questions remained unanswered: who, what, and how? A Jedi could always tell when someone died through the Force.

I rose from my seat and walked back into the Temple. During these days, the halls were mainly quiet. So many Jedi had been called to fight in the war. The only Jedi who remained were instructors for the younglings and padawans. The war had gotten so destructive that the Republic joined the Jedi in defeating the Sith and their Empire.

For the first day in many, I decided not to meditate but to only sleep. My mind didn't want to look more into the vision. Rest was the only necessity tonight, not to connect to the Force. Struggling to fall asleep, my body laid on the ground of the room.

The next morning, an eerie feeling filled the room. The light was saturated like most mornings. My eyes stared at the light without any discomfort. My body moved in auto-mode, taking me to the main hall. I left my lightsaber in the room, not completely sure on the reason why.

In the center of the hall, a circle of Jedi were conversing. The group seemed to be in deep discussion. When I started to walk in their direction, the group shifted nervously. Sectillo noticed me coming and motioned for me to see him.

"Morning, Protenuus. How are you doing?" I rubbed my head and glanced at the light, still unbothered by its rays.

"Master, I felt a disturbance in the Force yesterday. Well, I actually felt two different disturbances in the Force yesterday." Sectillo stared at me, which I disliked greatly every time he did.

"Why don't you come with me to the Council room?"

I started to follow his tiny, green body to the Council. Sectillo was moving with thought in every form of his appearance: how he walked; how his expression appeared. When we reached the room, Sectillo took his time to sit in his usual spot. He motioned for me to sit near him. I took a seat, trying to figure out Sectillo's unusual acting.

"Protenuus, I can answer one of the two disturbances you felt." I awaited his answer. "Yesterday, Obsarius joined the hyperspace route battle. He was met with three Sith naval destroyers, as well as many smaller ships. Unfortunately, Obsarius' command ship was shot down."

My eyes moved to the ground. Obsarius was dead, but the worse part was Sectillo seemed unmoved. "Why aren't you bothered by this?" I demanded. Sectillo folded his hands.

"Jedi's must not form attachments. Obsarius was a great man, but we cannot give into our emotions. By doing so, we are becoming like Sith, eventually using the Dark Side." I couldn't believe what he was saying or how he said it. Sectillo was talking as if Obsarius' death was necessary. The war wasn't even necessary.

"If we aren't to form attachments, then why aren't you teaching me to let Obsarius's death go?"

"You haven't done the trials. Your training isn't complete. If you wish to truly become a Jedi, however, you must learn to let go."

My fist clenched itself. "The trials? My friend and mentor has just died, and all you can talk about is the trials. Why are we even fighting this war, Master?" I stared at him, analyzing his movements.

Sectillo frowned, "The Sith are our enemies. If we don't fight, we lose everything. The Republic will fall." My mind was burning with anger.

"The Republic? Why do we care about the Republic like our brother? I thought Jedi weren't suppose to form attachments. Do you have an attachment to the Republic?"

Sectillo stood up, clearly frustrated. "It is the Jedi's duty to maintain peace. The Republic is peaceful, henceforth we should keep them in power."

I responded, "So by keeping them in power, won't we also have power? Are we fighting this war to keep our power?"

Sectillo yelled, "Enough! You have spoken out far too long. Think about what you are asking, my young padawan."

My eyes shifted to Sectillo. He was breathing very deeply, seemingly ready to attack me. I realized that he didn't answer the question, however. Instead, Sectillo responded in anger and silenced me. _He didn't have an answer._

We sat there in silence for a while. The Jedi did seek power, just like the Sith. Sectillo's answer, or lack thereof, proved it. If the Jedi didn't seek power, this war would only exist between the Republic and Empire. The Sith and the Jedi's conflict wouldn't be as disastrous and would concern only the Sith and the Jedi. Sectillo sat there, deep in thought like me. His eyes shifted around but remained focused on the ground.

"I have called you here for one more reason." Sectillo finally blurted. I looked up to see that he was still very much angry. "Although, right now, I would prefer otherwise, I am sending you to the hyperspace route battle."

"But, Master, that doesn't make sense. I have to be a Knight, at least, to fight in the war." Sectillo readjusted his hands to the side of the chair.

"We are very thin in numbers, Protenuus. You have already shown to me that you are strong with the Force, and trust in it. As of this moment, I am officially ranking you as a Jedi Knight."

My ears buzzed in the silence. Jedi tradition was always to be knighted after taking the trials. In the trials, we would discover more about ourselves and the Force. All I did was meditation and the meditation could only do so much. The trials were meant to help us discover something new about the Force.

"Master Sectillo, the trials are meant to strengthen our bond in the Force. I don't think I'm ready."

Sectillo sighed, "You are ready. I believe it. Tonight, you will be leaving with reinforcements to the battle. I suggest you return to your room and pack what you need."

I had enough with Sectillo at the moment. I rose and left the room, heading straight for my room. If I went to the battle, I could possibly help in ending the war more quickly. After all, Obsarius did say the battle was major. I just hoped the battle wasn't the same one in my vision.

My stuff was almost completely packed. Jedi's didn't have many items. Our only essentials were our lightsabers and robes. I walked to the drawer. Opening it, my lightsaber rolled around and, next to it, a small crystal bumped off the saber's curved end. Although the day was night time, light still glistened off the crystal. I stared at the lightsaber then the crystal.

The Jedi always created lightsabers, but they always believed in peace. The argument was we still needed to protect ourselves. I didn't understand the argument because the Force was our ally, not our lightsaber. We should be able to protect ourselves with just the Force. Then again, a lightsaber was very effective in protecting oneself.

The crystal continued to reflect a powerful light. My curiosity was starting to really control me. At last, I picked up both the lightsaber and crystal. Removing the green kyber, I placed the spare into the lightsaber. The green crystal was placed on the top of the drawer. I rose my lightsaber to be level with my face. I was finally going to see the color the kyber would emit. I turned on the lightsaber and something amazing happened.

A grey blade rose out of the lightsaber. _A grey kyber crystal!_ I had never seen a grey lightsaber before. I didn't think they even existed. A blend of black and white color combined into one lightsaber. The saber was lighter and energy flowed more steadily through it. This kyber crystal felt more connected to me, but I knew I couldn't use the kyber. Everyone knew I had a green lightsaber. Reluctantly, I switched kyber crystals and placed the grey kyber into my pocket.

Not long after, Onx, a Jedi Master, came to my room. "Hello, Protenuus. Are you ready?"

"Oh, hello, Onx. I take it you're coming with me to the battle?" Onx gave a beautiful smile. She was a good friend and very strong with the Force. Unlike Sectillo, Onx could look at a topic in more than one point of view. So, I talked to her about the Jedi's involvement in the war on our way to the battlefield.

"That's a very interesting perspective, Protenuus. I always believed the Jedi fought the Sith because they didn't believe in peace. No matter what the Jedi desired peace. I believe that is why the war is being fought. We need to end the Sith Empire."

I frowned, "But we thought we destroyed the Sith Empire once before. Look where that got us." Onx shook her Nimbanel head.

"Maybe we should talk about this tomorrow. That is if we survive through tomorrow."

Onx and I were on the command ship, currently in hyperspace. Around our ship, smaller war-prepared vehicles had joined us in hyperspace. We were commanding a small fleet.

"So what do I need to know before we get into the battle." Onx and I walked to the command post.

"Well, the strength in this fleet is with the smaller ships. They have E-wing and A-wing class fighters. They're very fast and effective in their firepower. The Destroyers have very powerful turrets but are slow in their reaction time. I say we focus attention on the larger ships, leaving the fighters to fend for themselves." I analyzed the map displayed in front us.

The Sith Destroyers were spread out as far as possible. In between them, our Destroyers were surrounded by their fighters. Onx was right. As long as the Sith Destroyers remained in place, our Destroyers were stuck, fighting off fighters and the Destroyers. "So, if we take out the Destroyers, we can pick off the fighters."

"Exactly." Onx smiled, mentally preparing for battle.

A commander spoke over the announcement, "Entering out of hyperspace. Get to your stations and prepare for battle." I felt my gut drive out of my body as the stars returned to their normal shape, morphing from straight lines into small circles.

All around us, a massive battle was happening. In every direction, A- and E-wing fighters flew at us, firing at our turrets. Every member on our ship ran to their position and started to shout words into their microphones or fire at the ships. There were no planets in sight, just a sea of stars. Off in the distance, our Destroyers fired red blasters against the Sith Destroyers with no avail.

"Their shields are still up. We need to take down their shields." I blurted. Although this was my first real battle, I wasn't afraid. Instead, my body was in auto-drive, remembering what I was taught and how to respond. The first goal in any battle was to destroy their shields."

A voice came from the speaker, "Oh, thank goodness for reinforcements. We're trying to destroy their shields, but their emitters are on the other side of the ship. Our fighters aren't fast enough to avoid their turret fire." I looked at Onx who was as confused as I was.

"I thought their turrets were slow."

The voice returned, "Well, normally they would be, but their fighters along with the turrets are working in unison. If we fly away from the fighters, the turrets are waiting for us and blow us out of the sky."

I calculated every possibility we had. At last, I realized they needed more fighters, or rather very skilled fighters. A very important part of Jedi training in fighting is learning how to fly. We learned that the Force will guide our direction to the proper place. "I'm going out there." Onx reached her hand out, blocking my path.

"Not without me you aren't."

We both ran to our Jedi fighters, small, one person ships. They were agile enough to avoid the fighters and, if needed, can make a quick escape from the turrets. _Beep, Beep._ I looked behind me as I sat in my ship. A small, green astromech droid rolled and connected to the ship. I knew the droid, actually. He helped me learn how to fly. "T-7! So you decided to join the front line?" I smiled, patting him on the head. He responded with an enthusiastic _beep!_ "Well, I'm glad I get to go into my first battle with the first droid I flew with!" T-7 agreed.

Our ship rose and blasted off into space. Immediately, we ran into three Sith fighters. The three dispersed into a wild attack, firing at Jedi ships. My fighter spun, avoiding the green blasters. The first Sith fighter tried to fly away from me. I fired at its engines, causing the entire vehicle to explode. Spinning ship completely, the second Sith fighter was in my line of fire. Red blasters flew towards the fighter's pilot space. The pilot was engulfed in flames, leaving one fighter left. The last fighter was prepared, however. Above me, the fighter flew down. Green blasters flew at top speed. My right wing was unlucky enough to get skinned by one of the blasters. My ship got unbalanced and flew without control.

Just as I regained control of the ship, the ship fighter flew in my view. Unable to prepare, I watched, waiting for the fighter to fire. Before it could, however, the ship was bombarded with red blasters and blew up. Out of the corner of my eye, Onx's fighter flew down. Her voice came onto the speaker, "Almost lost you there." I breathed in relief.

"Yeah, luckily you got there in time."

We adjusted our ships to fly towards the right-most Sith Destroyer. We were met with a dozen Sith fighters and, in the middle, a Sith Lord's fighter, made only for a Master and Apprentice. It was wide and quick. There was something familiar about the ship though. Or, there some familiar feeling about who was driving it.

I felt a connection in the Force with the Sith flying it. There was only one explanation on who it was: Arrotesdus. So the vision was right about him joining the Sith. How could he? A Sith was the one who killed his father, not a Jedi. Why did he blame the Jedi?

I didn't have much time to think. Arrotesdus' ship flew at me, firing multiple rounds of green blasters at me. I immediately shifted to the right, dodging all the bullets. The first turret of the Destroyer was aimed at me. Green blasters flew out of the turret towards me. Luckily, my ship was quick enough to avoid all of them, spinning clockwise. I fired at the turret, causing it to engulf in flames.

Arrotesdus continued to fire at my ship as I destroyed the remaining turrets, leaving one left to be destroyed. Onx was busy dealing with Sith fighters as I destroyed the turrets. Dealing with them, she joined me in dealing with the final turret. As she flew next to me, I saw Arrotesdus' fire focus on Onx's ship. "Onx, look out!" It was too late. Onx, unable to move in time, was shot out of her ship. As I flew away, I saw a line of fire fly off into the darkness, Onx along with it.

I turned my ship around. Arrotesdus had to know who he was trying to kill. As my ship completed the 360 degree turn, Arrotesdus' ship flew straight at me. I saw him, eager to fire at my ship. Arrotesdus, seeing me through my ship's window, momentarily eased his grip on his turret. Our gaze met each others. Even though we were still far away, I could see Arrotesdus had changed. His skin was much paler with darkened spots around his eyes. His eyes were the most disturbing part about his change. Instead of natural, red eyes, a disturbing, yellow color filled his pupils. The Dark Side had completely taken over Arrotesdus, which was a sign from the yellow eyes.

Arrotesdus smiled at me, but not in a good way. His smile was menacing and dark. He gripped the turret and fired at my ship. I didn't try to fight back: I didn't want to. My friend had fallen so low, and I had just lost another friend because of him. There was no fight in me left. I froze and watched as my ship was gunned down. When both of my wings were blown off and the life support system was destroyed, Arrotesdus stopped firing. He looked at me one last time and flew back into battle.

He didn't blow my ship. Instead, Arrotesdus left me in space to die a slow, painful death. I had no control of the ship and I would surely die soon. One of the bullets from Arrotesdus' ship had flown close enough to my seat that my side was grazed. I felt my body start to burn from the blaster. The pain was so bad that I didn't notice the ship was nowhere near the battle.

Far off in the distance, I could bursts of lights. I was surrounded only by dark and light. I was stuck in a sea of stars with no hope, except the Force. The Force's vision wasn't completely correct: I wouldn't die by Arrotesdus' lightsaber but his ship.

I stared out at the vast nothingness. There were no planets in sight. T-7, who I had forgotten about, beeped in concern. He couldn't control the ship either. "It's alright, my friend. We'll find a planet soon." I lied. T-7 responded nervously and unsure. _Beeeeep._ The only monitoring part of the ship was the navigation. "T-7, where are we headed?" _Beepp._ We were flying towards the Outer Rim. _Great,_ I thought. If we find a place, we'll run into some of the worse scum and villainy in the galaxy.

Days passed, and days passed. I was slipping in and out of conscience, unaware if I was really awake. My side was hurting more and more. I could feel the burn inch deeper into my skin.

T-7 was losing power, too. His occasional beeps were very slow and drawn out. I couldn't risk sending him into low power mode, because I had nothing to charge him back up. _Beeeppp._ He was growing very tired. "Where are we headed now, T-7?" _Beeeeepppp._ According to the navigations systems, we weren't going anywhere. Not wanting to stare at nothing anymore, I fell back asleep.

A couple days later, or at least I think a couple days later, I was awoken by a reenergized _BEEP_ from T-7. I burst my eyes open and, in front me, a planet appeared. It was giant and looked full of life. There was a lot of mist in the atmosphere, preventing any view of the ground, if there was any ground. Nonetheless, the planet was T-7 and I's best chance.

"Ok, T-7, we're going to land on- wait, what planet is this?" A couple seconds later, T-7 responded confused, _Beepp._ His databanks had no record of this planet. "What are you talking about? Search the Republic databanks." T-7 searched again and responded the same. This planet, according to the Republic, did not exist, and yet, here it was.

My curiosity further encouraged me to land. The only problem with landing was I couldn't. The ship was too damaged to land safely. To make matters worst, I wouldn't be able to land safely with the level of mist in the atmosphere.

T-7 didn't care. He took control of the ship and burst the engines towards the planet. Our view was completely shadowed by the mist. The only differences in our view was the density of mist. It seemed to get lighter the farther we went down. Clearing mist could mean the surface was visible enough for us to make a camp. I would think about that after we landed, however. The ship was in a free fall at this point. I could feel my stomach rise up into my head. As I felt it leave my body, our ship plunged into water. My head slammed into the controls, causing my vision to be blurry. Already losing consciousness from the burn in my side, I slipped out of conscious as the ship sunk slowly in the water.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

I was fortunate enough to wake up with some air still visible. The ship was more than half way covered with water. The water itself was slimy, thickly, darkly brown. The water was half liquid, half mud. The planet I crashed on must've been a swamp planet.

I tried to raise up, but my seat was locked. The lock wouldn't bulge and the ship continued to sink further down. I looked through the window at the small amount of land left visible. Far off, I could see T-7 had found some ground to rest on. He was shaking nervously, unaware of what to do. I reached to my side, but my lightsaber wasn't there. My eyes scanned the bottom of the ship, looking for some movement. Finally, I saw the saber slide across the floor, hitting my feet. I bent as far as the seat let me.

My fingers barely wrapped around the saber. Using the small amount of strength I had left, my arms lifted the lightsaber. Igniting the blade, the lightsaber cut through the seat strap, freeing me. I tried to push the window up, but, like the lock, it wouldn't bulge. Instead, I searched for the light and heavy feeling I had felt so many times before. The feeling found me instantaneously and, reaching my hand out, pushed the door out without ever touching it.

Immediately, water poured in, disabling the ship completely. I jumped out just before my legs got caught with the pouring current. The tail of my ship was the last exposed piece. I looked over to T-7 who was jumping a little more happily seeing me escaped the ship. The distance was far enough that I could reach it.

I took a step back only to grimace in pain. My side was starting to burn much more and my head was starting to throb. _Focus._ I took a step forward. My thighs tightened as I flew off the ground. I could feel the Force willing me to reach the ground. Unexpectedly, I miscalculated the jump and landed on top of T-7. _Beeeeppp!_ The droid flew a couple inches ahead. His legs shook helplessly in the air, frustrated yet relieved at my survival jump.

I ran over and helped the little guy up. "Sorry there, T-7. I guess I had more strength than I thought I did." T-7 beeped in a very upset tone, or it seemed upset. I fell to the ground exhausted.

My focus could now be set on where we actually were. We definitely landed on a swamp planet. The ground was mushy and filled with vines. Animals shrieked and made disturbing noises around me. The trees were thick and dense. "It's gonna be hard building a camp here, T-7" T-7 _beeped_ in agreement.

Besides the overabundance of life, the planet was very peaceful. The Force flowed strong in this place: the Force was almost another organism. I could feel it focus somewhere in the distance. I would search for it later; although it would be dangerous looking for the focus, the Force felt calm here.

I had time to search later. My ship, and only means of long distance contact, had sunk in the bottom of the swamp. All the surrounded me were thick trees of animals curious of who I was, but not too curious. Besides, I had T-7, who had calmed down to subtly shaking now, to protect me. "I'm going to take a quick nap, T-7. Then, we'll make a camp." T-7 beeped, wanting to rest a little himself.

It must've been days before I found the cave, the focus of the Force flow on the planet. I had ventured around the small camp I made, consisting of only a bed and some plants found to be healthy enough to eat. I could feel the Force strengthen in its flow the farther I traveled out from the camp. I didn't want to get too far away for the camp was my only form of food. Also, T-7 seemed scared whenever I left the camp.

One day, probably a week after we first crashed, I had decided to travel a little far out. I looked behind me and saw T-7 standing in a motionless statue. His head was spinning here and there, on the look for any danger. At this point, T-7 should've been calm, but he was having trouble adjusting to the swamp terrain. Anyways, I was traveling to what looked like a drop in the ground. The drop wasn't really a drop actually. It was more like I was on top of a bump that looked like a small hill. The mist around me was starting to drop lower the ground, which is what it did early in the morning. Unfortunately, I ignored the possibility of the mist covering how steep the hill really was. Stepping a little too close to the drop, I lost my footing and fell down the hill. At first, I was worried for myself and T-7, who no doubt probably saw me fall. The drop looked too steep to travel back up, but not high enough to jump over. As I was about to jump, I felt a dark and heavy feeling pass through me. I turned around and saw a naturally-built cave. The mist was so thick that the only visible object was the cave. The cave was created with the vines and trees bending and curving to form a circular opening in the middle.

The Dark Side was strong here. I had never felt the darkness like I did here. I felt it sometimes when I was angry, but not like this. The Dark Force was constant and consuming. I felt terrible emotions: fear, anger, and hatred. As I felt myself fall into the darkness, I was lifted again with a burst of the light side. The cave was emitting both the Light and the Dark Side of the Force. I had to see what was inside. What could be so powerful and connected to the Force to convey both sides at the same time?

I don't remember much when I first entered the cave. The mist had fallen to my feet, making me appear to be floating. As I went deeper into the cave, the mist started to build up in front of me. Eventually, the mist had thickened enough that I couldn't see where I was going. I stopped at that point, trying to connect to the Force. The Light and the Dark binded to me in there. I felt truly in balance and connection to the Force. I no longer focused on just the light like I did in my meditations at the Jedi Temple. The Force was flowing here like it did in my grey kyber crystal.

As I started to see the connection between the grey kyber and the Force here, a voice startled me, "You don't belong here." I looked around but saw no one. Could the figure talking to me be the one connected to the Force? No, the strength the Force had here was bigger than just one person.

"Who's there?"

I scanned the room once more, finally seeing a foot and white robed figure standing in the corner of the room to my light. The person was back to the wall, blocking his face with darkness. Although I couldn't physically see his face, he seemed familiar, like a lost old friend.

I could feel the figure analyze me. Finally, he spoke again, "Ah, I presume you are a Jedi. You must've landed here."

"Crashed actually. How do you know of the Jedi?" The figure laughed.

"The Jedi! Who doesn't know of them? I ran into your kind before."

My kind? The Jedi were never classified into one group: we were so diverse. I asked the figure, "What do you mean your kind?"

The figure responded, "Dreamers. False followers of the Force." I didn't understand what he was saying.

"False followers? We can manipulate the Force to our will."

"That does not make you a follower. It makes you a user." He had a point.

"But Jedi meditate every day, looking deeper into the Force, connecting to it."

The figure was silent for a minute. "The Jedi look only at the light side. Tell me: how does someone follow something but only look at one side? Does the person only care about one part?"

I thought hard about his questions. His thoughts were the same ones I had thought of before. To understand something, you must look at all its parts, not just the ones you deem worthy. The figure intrigued me. I had to know more, but the figure had vanished. "Hello?" I looked around but saw nor heard no one. I left the cave, thinking about the questions.

The next day I returned to the cave. The figure was there, waiting for me. "I see you have returned. Have you thought about what I asked you yesterday?" I wanted to continue the conversation.

"Yes, I have." I could tell the figure smiled.

He responded, "Perhaps you would like to talk about the Jedi?"

"Yes, I would. I was wondering: why are you against the Jedi?" The figure shifted in the dark.

"The Jedi are hypocrites. They give orders to not form attachments, yet they have formed attachments, to power and their Republic." I couldn't believe it: the figure thought the same as I did. It's as if the figure was me.

I had to make sure about one thing first. "Are you a Sith?" The figure laughed.

"If I were a Sith, you would be dead."

"Why would I be dead?" I felt the figure frown in the dark.

"Because you are a Jedi. A Sith always wants to kill a Jedi."

My thoughts turned to my final moments in the hyperspace battle. Arrotesdus flew right in front of me. He had every opportunity to shoot me down there, but instead he let me drift away. I had thought at first it was to let me die slowly, but there was a change in his expression as he lifted his hand from the fire button. I could see that he was facing inner turmoil. He looked down at my ship with what looked like pity or sadness. If he were truly Sith, he would've shot down my ship without remorse.

The figure caught my attention again. "Am I wrong?"

"Well, no. I suppose I would be dead." The figure laughed.

"You would be." So, the person wasn't a Jedi (obviously), nor was he Sith.

"So, what are you? You are clearly strong in the Force- I can feel it. You are not a Jedi or Sith."

The individual answered immediately, "I am in the middle. I use both Light and Dark: the true nature of the Force."

"What? How can you use the Dark Side and not be consumed by its power?"

The figure said quickly, "Who taught you that the Dark Side completely consumes its users?" I frowned at the ground.

"The Jedi did." The figure laughed again.

"Exactly. The Jedi have never used the Dark Side: they've only seen the worse of those who used it. They've seen the Dark Side users who completely embrace just the darkness, most likely because they were taught that was the only way to use it. Tell me this: have you ever felt the Dark Side before, such as when you were angry?"

My thoughts raced back to my meditation only a few days before. I was thinking of Arrotesdus before he left the Order (and joined the Sith Empire). I was frustrated at what happened in the end and at Sectillo's indifference to what happened. In my meditation, the darkness did come to me, but it wasn't like the Jedi described. It was consuming and evil. The darkness was natural, like my anger. I didn't let every emotion flow from the darkness, just the anger.

"Yes, I'm afraid I have."

The figure spoke, "Don't be afraid. Let the emotion run its course. We are alive: we feel. It is wrong to try to detach yourself from such truths. The Force is alive, too. Why should it ignore its emotions?" I was starting to understand.

"Is the Dark Side the emotions of the Force?"

"In a way. Touch that plant next to your hand. You will understand more after."

I looked down. Surely enough, a plant was hanging next to my arm. I reached out and touched the plant. My sight was immediately filled with a flow. The flow was dark at some times. In front of me, a lizard appeared. Actually, I was the lizard. I was walking through the swampy forest. A loud beep had gotten my attention, and, to my right, I saw a giant robot shaking next to me. The robot had a semicircular head and seemed to be afraid of me. I tried to move closer to better see the droid. The droid, terribly afraid of me, ran to me and smothered me against the ground. Luckily, my species had adapted to being smothered. My body inflated back to normal size, but I was still irritated at the artificial being. I wanted to show my anger. The Force started to flow darkly through me.

My vision shifted to a fish in the water. Normally, I wouldn't be able to see but the fish had special vision. The fish' eyes were adapted to the muddy water and could see everything clearly. To the corner of my right eye, I saw another, blue fish swim towards me. The fish had entered my territory, which bothered me greatly. I swam towards the fish furiously. The Force started to flow darkly through me.

My vision returned back to my human body. I was alone again in the cave. Troubled by what I had just experienced, I left the cave. I returned to the campsite to find a small lizard hurtling towards T-7. The vision I had just seen had actually just happened. I picked up the lizard and threw him far off in the distance. "Easy, T-7. It was just a lizard." _Beeeep._ T-7 rolled away angry.

I sat down on my bed. I was still trying to process my visions. The Force was flowing darkly through the creatures, but they weren't consumed. They weren't evil. The Jedi have always been taught that anyone who used the Dark Side weren't good. In fact, we were taught the Dark Side was inherently evil. Why would it fill those creatures then? The creatures were just angry, experiencing emotion. I closed my eyes and went to sleep, eager for tomorrow's meeting with the figure.

I entered the cave like any other day. The mist thickened in the usual spot. In the corner of the room, I could see a figure shuffle around. "So, what did you think of what you saw?" I had already prepared my answer.

"I don't quite understand. The animals were just angry, but the Dark Side still came to them. I thought the Dark Side was evil, too."

"The Force encompasses all living things. The Force has two parts: the Light and the Dark. Wouldn't, then, the Dark Side also encompass life?"

"I suppose so, but that still doesn't completely answer the question." The figure answered slowly.

"Do you remember what I told you yesterday?"

My thoughts replayed the same line he told me yesterday: "We are alive: we feel." The figure nodded his darkened head.

"Yes. And when you were angry, you felt the Dark Side, yes?" I nodded my head.

"You see, the Jedi don't understand the Dark Side, yet the Dark Side is in all of us. The Dark Side is emotion: the unpredictable, powerful part of the Force. The Light is powerful, too, but in a different way. The Light is calm, aka predictable. When we feel emotion, we become aggressive, uncalculating. The Dark Side fills these emotions. At its very essence, the Dark Side is emotion." 

My mind was puzzled. "I don't completely understand."

The figure responded, "I don't expect you to. The Force is very mysterious. I want you to understand, however, that it is wrong to devoid ourselves of the Dark Side. In doing so, we are ridding ourselves of emotion, of a part of living." I understood what he was saying. The Jedi, mostly, were emotionless. They were always calm, almost to the point of looking like robots.

I frowned towards the figure. "So, you're saying we should embrace our emotions? Let the Dark Side in?" The figure responded as if he knew I would ask him the question.

"I'm saying let the emotion complete the course. The Dark Side will be with you then, yes, but it will disappear, just like the emotion you felt. In order to prevent yourself from falling completely into the darkness, you must know one thing: the most powerful emotion is suffering. In one's suffering, the Dark Side has truly consumed you."

I could see the figure's tactics. He was teaching me. "Are you my new teacher? Why tell me any of this?" The figure was silent until suddenly he blurted out.

"For many reasons. Some, I can tell you. Others, you will find out one day." I bit my lip.

"How about you tell me what you can?"

The figure sat down, still keeping his face in the darkness. "You are a Jedi, or at least becoming one. You needed to know the truth. Also, I can sense a struggle inside you. You aren't completely devoted to becoming a Jedi: I can tell."

I stepped backwards. "How do you know?" The figure laughed his usual, somewhat annoying laugh.

"I can feel it through the Force. I do admit you are much stronger in the light than I expected for your age. I don't remember being that strong in the light at that age. Then again, I am a very old man." I stared into the darkness.

"I can't tell. Why don't you come out, so I can see your face?"

The figure said, "You don't have to see it. You already believe what I am saying."

As I moved my mouth to respond, the mist started to flow towards me. My vision was blocked. As the mist cleared, the figure had yet again disappeared. I was alone in the cave. I didn't want to leave; I wanted to keep talking. The Force was becoming more and more interesting and understandable. Emotions were a part of life. Whenever I did feel a strong emotion, the Dark Side was there, but it didn't consume me. I thought about Arrotesdus. If his eyes proved anything, he was suffering. The Dark Side had completely consumed him.

Eventually, I returned to the campsite. Apparently, T-7 thought I was late. "Calm down, T-7. I'm still alive." _Beeppp._ He thought luck was the reason for my still living. I laughed at that. "Luck. I'm starting to think luck doesn't exist."

I laid down on my bed. I looked over at T-7, who was looking around the campsite again. "Come on, T-7. It must've been a month by now. Nothing's attacked us yet." T-7 beeped nervously, unconfident in my remark. I reached into my bed pocket, taking out an electric tube. I open T-7's charger component and plugged in the tube. T-7 relaxed, gaining power. I rested my back on the soft surface, falling asleep.

The next morning was a rather eventful one. I was awoken by a very loud _beep_ from T-7. I swung up, rubbing my eyes. "What is it, T-7? Why don't you quiet down a little, too?" _Beep, Beep, Beeeeeppp._ There was apparently something on the back of my head. As I slowly gained energy, I started to feel something crawl on my neck. It was hairy and wet. I reached for my neck, but whatever was on my neck was just out of reach. As I started to feel a hairy leg, my skin pinched in a bite. The animal was a spider. Afraid of my hand, the spider bit my neck and jumped off. Now, a large bump had replaced the spider, more bothersome than before.

"Akk!" I clenched my neck. The pain was worse than the burn in my side (which had fortunately subsided after a couple weeks on the planet). I only cared about relieving the pain. I ran to the swamp lake nearby. Scooping up handfuls of water, I splashed my neck repeatedly. Eventually, my neck was beginning to swell down. Somehow, the water had helped.

I fell back, observing the water. In my pain, the Dark Side had come to me. The feeling was heavy. My thoughts went back to the cave and the figure who was most likely waiting for me. Covering my neck with my robes, I rose up and walked to the cave. As I passed the campsite, T-7 beeped nervously. "I'm alright, buddy. I'll be back." T-7 beeped in relief and turned off, allowing his powers to recharge.

The figure was indeed waiting for me. He was sitting in his usual spot, still hiding his face in the dark. He gave his usual greeting, "Have you thought of what I said yesterday?"

As usual, I responded, "Yes."

"So, I have taught you about the Nature of the Force. Now, I wish to teach to you about the Force's supposed 'followers'." The figure was precise in putting quotation marks around followers.

"You mean Jedi."

"Well, I will talk about Jedi, but I also wish to talk about Sith."

I took a seat, preparing for today's lesson. "You know the Jedi Code. Do you know the Sith Code?"

"No, but I know what they seek. They want power." The figure rose his finger.

"Just like the Jedi. They just seek it in different ways. One seeks power in calm and the Light Side of the Force. The other seeks power in emotion and the Dark Side of the Force."

"Yes, that is true. The Jedi seek power to maintain peace, though." The figure lowered his finger.

"Do they? If Jedi truly seek peace, why do they fight in every war? Why do people still die under their protection?"

"The deaths that happen in war are necessary." The figure rose his eyebrows, or it seemed he did.

"Do you really believe that?"

To be honest, I didn't. I had heard too much about lands devastated by war. Families who had lost their father, mother, and/or children because the war had found their home. "Well, I must confess I don't. To be honest, I don't believe in this war, or any war between the Jedi and the Sith."

The figure nodded his head. "I thought so. The Jedi and the Sith have been in constant conflict since their beginnings. The very natures and philosophies of each group bring conflict in the other. Let's look at the two codes."

" _There is no emotion, there is peace. There is no ignorance, there is knowledge. There is no passion, there is serenity. There is no chaos, there is harmony. There is no death, there is the Force._ That, as you know, is the Jedi Code."

" _Peace is a lie. There is only Passion. Through Passion I gain Strength. Through Strength I gain Power. Through Power I gain Victory. Through Victory my chains are Broken. The Force shall free me._ That is the Sith Code."

"What do you notice about both?"

I replayed both Codes in my head. "Well both codes don't actually talk much about the Force, but end with it."

The figure responded, "Yes, they are more focused on ideals. It's more as if they remember that they can use the Force and added it at the end. Both codes do resemble their emotional state, as well. The Jedi Code is calm and peaceful. The Sith Code is emotional and powerful."

"Yes, but why does it matter what their Codes resemble?" The figure rose his hands.

"I'm just making observations. Now, the two Codes, they are polar opposites, aren't they? They dwell on just one side of two: emotion and none emotion, the Dark and the Light." The individual's teachings were making sense.

"So, you're saying a follower of the Force should be in the middle?"

"Yes. Tell me: what do you truly want as a Force user?"

I thought about my goals as a Jedi, as a Force user in general. I remembered what I thought on the cliff with Arrotesdus, back when I first discovered my Force abilities. "I want peace. I want the galaxy at peace. I want to be the one who maintains it."

The individual nodded his head in understanding. "That's what a Force user should be. They should protect the galaxy and its inhabitants. I believe that is what the Force desires. I believe that is why the Force resides strongly in certain individuals."

I glared at the figure. "What are you saying I should do then as a Jedi?" The figure was silent. He took his time in responding.

"If you so desire, I have made my own Code for Force users. Would you like to hear it?" I nodded, waiting to hear his answer to my question. The figure breathed deeply, preparing himself to say a newly created Code for Force Users.

" _There must be both dark and light. I will do what I must to keep the balance, as the balance is what holds all life. There is no good without evil, but evil must not be allowed to flourish. There is passion, yet peace; serenity, yet emotion; chaos, yet order. I am a wielder of the flame; a champion of balance. I am a guardian of life. I am a Grey Jedi._ "

"A Grey Jedi? What is a Grey Jedi?"

The figure responded quickly, "A Force User in between the two polar opposites. He is a mix of white and black, creating a new color: grey."

I was deep in thought about the Code. Becoming a Grey Jedi was an interesting thought. According to the Code, I would use both sides of the Force. I would truly protect the galaxy like I dreamed as a kid. I didn't understand about my future completely, however.

"What would happen if I became a Grey Jedi? What about my other training to be just a Jedi?"

The figure sighed. Although his face was obscured by darkness, I could see him look at me. He was silent, waiting for the right moment to answer. The figure shifted his legs as mist started to thicken around my eyes again, blocking my view of the person. As the last bit of the person was lost in the mist, I heard him say, "You must leave the Jedi Order."


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

My whole life was only one dream. I only wanted one thing: Become a Jedi Master. My parents always told me the Jedi were the ultimate good. I saw them as out-of-this galaxy people.

My encounters with the mysterious figure and my encounters with the Jedi had changed my view though. The Jedi had continuously done what they thought would end the war. They were hypocrites about their own teachings, forming attachments to the Republic and power; and ignoring a part of the Force yet saying they followed the substance. Perhaps I should leave the Order.

This person seemed to know much more about the Jedi and the Force then the Jedi themselves did. I connected to the person too. He seemed like a friend I made very young and only just rediscovered. I didn't see how he knew so much about the Jedi either. The only reason I could find was he was once a Jedi. The figure must've crashed landed on this planet long again, like me.

As I thought of how long he stayed here, I grew frightened. My thoughts flew back to a couple days when he suggested I leave my dream. The figures word replayed in my mind, "Then again, I am a very old man." It was possible the person had been on this planet for most of his life.

I only just realized that I had a high chance of living my whole life on this planet. The planet wasn't on any databanks either, making the discovery of the planet ten times harder. There was no certainty they were looking for me, to add. For all the possibilities, the Jedi would assume I died in battle. If they looked into the Force, the Jedi would see I'm still alive. Knowing them, they were probably too focused on the war to meditate for even a couple seconds.

I had trouble getting up. The swell from the spider bite was preventing me from moving my head around normally. To add, over the few weeks since I got the bite my thoughts were becoming more fuzzy. The water helped me at first, but didn't do much at this point. Actually, I was getting more dehydrated lately and used the water as a drink. Of course, the water was so muddy that I couldn't drink much.

After struggling to pull myself up, I decided to lay in my small bed. T-7 was still in rest mode. His body hung towards the ground, only staying up becauses of his locked-in legs.

The air had almost no mist today, which was strange. The sky usually had enough mist where I couldn't see a mile in the distance. I could see the cave in the far distance. The cave just stayed there, almost tempting me to come over. The mist had recollected around the sides of the cave. The only clear visible part of the cave was the open hole in the middle.

I hadn't returned to the cave since I heard his Code. My mind was too focused on the true meaning of leaving the Jedi Order. Also, I didn't have a lot of energy because of the spider bite.

My curiosity, at the moment, had been fulfilled and didn't wish to know more about the figure's philosophy. I wondered if the figure left the Jedi Order.

Did he have a choice? Was he stuck on this planet and no longer viewed himself as a Jedi? Was the figure against the Jedi Order because they never rescued him? Was he secretly in contempt with the Order?

Once I gained the energy, I would return to the cave to get answers. He had told me to leave my only goal in life. If I was going to do so, I had to know more about him. KNowing he was an old man wasn't enough. I wouldn't return today, though. I was too exhausted to even sit up.

I woke up the next morning with a little more energy. T-7 had rejuvenated his power circuits. He rolled over to me. _Beep, beep._ He wanted me to get up and unplug the electric tube. Still too tired to get up, I rolled over to my side. T-7 wouldn't take no for an answer. He bumped into my back repeatedly. _Beep, Beep, Beeppp._ I could feel my spine start to get sore. "T-7, back off!" _BEEP!_ He was getting really upset.

After what felt like an hour of hitting in the back, I burst up. "Fine! Fine! You happy now?" T-7 _beeped_ in triumph. I unplugged the electric pipe reluctantly, sighing deeply as T-7 rolled away happily.

Seeing as how I was already up, I decided to take a walk around. For the first time in weeks, I walked to the swamp. The swamp was wide. I couldn't see the other side because the mist had blocked my view of it. I looked at the spot my ship crashed in. The water was flowing normally, indicating the ship was deep enough to not disrupt the surface current. The ship was heavy enough that it would've hit the bottom by now. "Man, this swamp is deep, T-7." T-7 rolled to my side. He was shaking slightly, getting this close to the swamp.

The only way to get off the planet was if someone flew down and picked me up. My mind kept racing to the negatives. The planet wasn't in any databanks. No one knew what the planet consisted of. Even if someone discovered the planet, they may crash land just like I did. I had to make sure they would land safely.

My eyes darted here and there as I thought about how to help someone land on this planet. The mist got thicker the higher in the sky. A fire wouldn't help then. The only way to help whoever would land is to slow their descent.

I walked over to a tree near the swamp. The vines wrapped around its trunk were thick. How strong were they? Seeing now way to test their strength, I cut apart the vines. I combined the thickest vines together, then made another layer for the less thick. I continued until I had five layers of vines, going from thin to thickest. I looked around the swamp. There were enough trees wide apart for all the vines to connect and stretch to their farthest. The only problem would be reaching the other side. The top of the trees was visible on the other side, but the ground was still obscured by the mist.

My swollen neck didn't let me look around too much unless I moved my whole body either. Tying the vines into a catch net would take a while. "Might as well get to work." I walked to the nearest tree and started tying one end of the net. The rest of the vine hung off the side of the tree. A part of the vine fell into the water, soaking in the swamp. Once the vine was connected to the tree, I went to another one close by. I continued to tie the vines until one complete side was done. Now, the other side of the swamp had to be tied up. The untied part of the vine continued to soak in the swamp as I looked for some land. The mist continued to block my vision of any green, or brown really, sticking out of the water. T-7, who was watching my actions with a baby-like interest, noticed my concern. _Beep?_ He was wondering how I would get to the other side. I turned my body completely to the right, seeing now path that could lead to the other side.

"I'll have to jump." T-7 shaked nervously. I felt the bump on my neck. Hopefully, the bump didn't prevent me from doing too much. I took a steps back to give myself a running start. The ground was level enough that I wouldn't need to exert more or less energy in running. The ground was close enough to the water on the end that I had to be careful in not running into the water. I took a deep breath and bursted into a full out sprint.

My neck immediately reminded me of the bump. Ignoring the pain, my legs blurred in their movement. Just as I reached the edge of the ground, I looked at my foot placement, careful not to hit the water. My right leg landed on the ground and propelled me upwards. I could feel a light breeze in my face. The Force came to me, willing my body to keep flying.

My legs moved in a cycle, waiting to hit solid ground. As I passed over the water, the mist started to clear on the other side. The land seemed to be farther away then my jump predicted. I reached my arms out their full length. Just as my arms started to pull my torso, my neck shrieked back, causing my arms to bend back under my shoulders. My legs plunged into the water as my fingers caught the edge.

I could feel the current pull me into the water. My strength was barely keeping me attached to the ledge. My legs pushed through the water, searching for something to latch on. FInally, I felt my legs hit a slimy surface. Immediately after, the surface retracted, or moved, under my leg. I felt a tail wrap around my right leg, pulling me deeper into the water. I tried to pull myself up, but my arms were too weak.

My nose and above was the only part of my body still above water. My fingers were at the very edge of ledge about to fall into the water. Not seeing any other choice, I let go of the ground. My body drowned into the swamp. The water was muddier then I thought. I could barely see the black fish in front of me. Its mouth was wide open, showing a complex set of teeth ready to strike its prey. I reached to my side, unclicking my lightsaber from its holder. My only hope was the lightsaber would still work in this water.

I ignited the lightsaber, seeing a green light fill the dark water. The fish flew backwards. Its large, bulging eyes tried to revert back in its head, but couldn't because it had adapted to the dark. I swung the green blade at the fish, piercing its fins. The fins burnt in the water, and the fish spasmed in pain. I swam back up to the surface. My head bursted out of the water. My mouth widened to its fullest extent, taking in as much air as possible. I threw my arms over the ledge and pushed myself out of the water.

I laid there for awhile. My lungs felt heavy, as if air was replaced with mud. I looked over at the other side as my chest rose and fell erratically. I couldn't see the other side, but I knew T-7 was there. His beeps traveled over to the other side, loud and worrisome. I coughed up a handful of mud. "I'm alright, T-7." _Beeepp!_ T-7 wasn't convinced.

I looked at the surface of the water, looking for where the vines entered. I saw them closer to the other side of the swamp. "Well, I'm not going back in there." I reached my arm out, waiting for the light, heavy feeling to come. Sure enough, the feeling came and the vines lifted out of the water. They floated over to my side and landed softly.

I realized, as the vines fell, that I could've just used the Force to tie them from the other side of the swamp. "Well, I'm stupid." I laughed at my lack of thinking. Too tired to tie each vine individually, I used the Force. I closed my eyes, extending my arm out again, and imagined the vines tied to the trees. Several minutes passed and I opened my eyes. All the vines had been tied to the tree, making one large net covering the entire swamp. Now, I had to think of way to get back.

I looked at the vines. Some were thicker than my torso. If any time was perfect to test their strength, the time was now. I jumped up and grabbed a vine. My weight pulled the vine down, but the vine didn't break. I swung my arm forward and grabbed the next portion of the net. Again, the vine bent but didn't break. I continued to move down the vine as I passed over the center of the swamp. The vine, at this point, bent as low as possible, but, again, did not break. I shuffled around while hanging on the vine. The net moved slightly but continued to stay in one piece. I moved to the end of the net and dropped on the ground next to T-7.

 _Beep, Beep, Beep!_ T-7 was excited to see me safe and sound. I wasn't really fine. My neck was starting to swell up again. The burn in my side was most likely infected from the mud. My body, by now, had thinned down to skeleton proportions. Although I had food, I needed to be conservative. Also, the food wasn't completely fulfilling. My bones poked my skin out as I walked.

T-7 and I went back to the campsite. Although the mist blocked most of the sunlight, I could tell it was nighttime. I laid down on the bed. T-7 rolled to his usual spot right next to a tree. My body relaxed instantly and my eyes rolled in the back of my head.

I didn't wake up the next day. T-7 had banged into me two days later, saying I had slept through a whole day. My body was begging for me to sleep more, but T-7 needed to be recharged. I got up and plugged in the electronic tube. I went over to the food area and grabbed some circular plants. The mist had thickened to its normal amount today. The cave was entirely invisible in the mist. I didn't feel the cave tempt me today. I guess that was the reason why I walked to the cave.

The usual events happened as I entered. The cave started to build up in front of me. I looked to the usual corner and saw the figure lying on the ground. "It's been a while." I laughed and fell to the floor.

"I've been a little busy."

"You want to get off the planet, don't you?" I nodded my head. "You'll get off one day."

"How do you know?" The figure shifted.

"I got off eventually, even though I thought I wouldn't." I saw an opportunity to learn more about the mysterious person.

"Why'd you come back?" The figure spoke deep in thought.

"I'm not completely sure. I just felt a connection here. It wasn't the same when I returned to Coruscant. I felt like a different person had once lived here in my shoes."

"So, you were a Jedi?" I asked.

"Yes, I was until I had experience a lot like yours."

"You talked to someone about a- what was it, a Grey Jedi?"

"I did."

"And you believed him?"

"Yes, I did and still do." I was getting a clearer picture.

"You saw the errors in the Jedi?" The figure nodded.

"Yes. You will, too, when you return." My eyebrows frowned.

"How do you know?"

"I'll tell you after I ask you something."

"What is it?" I asked.

"What will you do when you face your Sith friend?"

My legs went automatic and stood me up. "How do you know about Arrotesdus?" I stared at the blank face.

"I know more than you think I do." I grabbed my lightsaber and ignited the green blade.

"Who are you?" The figure started to laugh.

"Calm down, my friend." I stepped towards the figure.

"I'm not your friend!"

The figure stayed in place, as if my aggression was nothing. I wanted to hurt him. I really did. He acted as if he knew everything. The person thought he was a deity, or something. I stood there in the middle of the room with my green blade pointing at the figure's chest.

We both stayed in position. The room stayed motionless, except for the mist. The only sound was animals shifting in the trees. It seemed the entire world was waiting for the next move.

Unexpectedly, the figure stood up and started walking towards me. I rose my lightsaber, ready for an attack. The figure stopped just as his face was starting to reflect light. "What do you think your Jedi training will tell you to do? Will the Jedi think you should help Arrotesdus? Or do you think they will say to kill him?"

My focus shifted. I hadn't thought of what the Jedi would want me to do. Peace was the ultimate part of the Jedi. I was taught this philosophy since I first landed on Coruscant.

Regretfully, I answered, "They'll probably say to kill him." The figure nodded his head.

"The Jedi will say that because they think it will lead to peace. How does death lead to peace?"

I retracted the blade. I knew the figure wouldn't hurt me. "I don't know. I don't want to kill him."

"I know."

I didn't want to talk about Arrotesdus. I would think about that later. I had to know who he was. I stepped closer to him.

"Who are you?" The figure looked to the floor. He was thinking about whether to reveal who he was or not. After several minutes, the figure stepped forward into the light.

I stepped back to the end of the room. I couldn't believe who stood in front of me. The person staring at me was an older version of me. He had a beard masking his chin and lower face. His hair was dark like mine. I stared in shock as the other me smiled. "Now, you understand." The mist started to build up between us. "No!" I needed to understand. As I reached out for my other self, the mist cleared and I was alone in the cave.

I was going insane. The whole time I was in the cave I was really alone. I was speaking to nothing. Not even the Force could create a second person of someone.

I reached for the bump in my neck. Maybe the spider injected something that messed with my vision. I denied the possibility after remembering I "met" myself before the spider bite.

I could be hallucinating everything. Maybe I was still stuck in space, too damaged to be fully conscious. My ship may be floating right now in a sea of stars.

My mind was racing in the possible explanations as I sat down on my bed. I didn't notice T-7 try to squish a small bug who was bothering him. My heart was pounding out of my chest. Whether the reason was my injuries or my insanity, I don't know.

I started to wonder if I really did see myself. Why would I come back to this awful place? What would cause me to leave the Order? Would I kill Arrotesdus? Is that why I left the Order?

I was lost in the questions. There were so much I had to know. Maybe the Force was trying to tell me something. Maybe the Force was trying to tell me not to kill Arrotesdus.

I laid down on my bed. Falling asleep would be very hard tonight. My body was too sore to relax and my mind was too active to be calm. Bugs flew around my head, apparently attracted to my sent. I waved my arm around the air, trying to find some comfort. The bugs flew onto my beard, which had grown without my compensation. I gave up on sending them away and sunk into the bed. I needed some rest.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

My mind was still racing at the figure's true appearance, that is if the figure was real at all. I started to move much more slowly however. The bump on my neck was spreading to my back now. My whole neck was a saturated red and tender to the touch. My legs refused to move even slightly, so I stayed in the bed. It must've been weeks since I last left the cave.

A couple days after I saw myself in the cave, I worked up the courage to go back. Unlike times before, I was alone the whole time in the cave. The mist didn't thicken and there was nobody laying down in the corner of the room. The air was still in the cave. I sat in the center, waiting for hours. Still, the room stayed motionless. I closed my eyes, reaching out to the Force.

The Force came flowing into me, like an invisible wind. The Dark and Light were equally present in the cave. It seemed my body was the focal point of the Force's flow. I was in peace with the Force. Outside, my mind wouldn't stop thinking and my body was too damaged to calm, but in the Force, I had neither mind nor spirit. I was a bodiless spirit and the Force was a conduit for my thoughts.

A sharp pain in my neck pulled me back into my body. My hand touched the most tender spot in my neck; a yellowy liquid started to stick to the tips of my fingers. My side wasn't doing too well either. The burn was still localized near my hips, but there wasn't much healing. I thrusted myself up and dragged my legs back to the campsite.

As if T-7 was being funny, he ran over to me with full power. _Beep!_ T-7 wanted to tell me that he was ready to do anything we wanted. "Very funny." I swiped T-7 off and fell onto the floor, inches from the bed. I pulled myself towards the bed, rubbing my chest against the muddy floor. "I'm going to rest a little, T-7." _Beep, Beep?_ He wanted to know how long. I didn't answer because my eyes were already closed and my mind was gone.

Today was the first day I woke up since that day. T-7 had been worried this whole time, evident by the large pile of plants stacked next to me. He had prepared everything possible, especially food and water, so that I would be fine when I woke up. T-7 jumped ecstatically as he saw my eyes open.

I rose my torso up and looked around the campsite. I mustered a laugh as I saw the pile of food in front of me. "Well, I guess I won't starve." T-7 _beeped_ proudly.

My legs felt numb and didn't seem willing to move. My eyes went to the distance, looking for the cave. The mist wouldn't let me see the cave today like most days. _I wouldn't be able to walk over anyways._

I started to think about the figure again. I wanted to know so much more about myself. Was the Force trying to show me my future? I already experienced a vision of Arrotesdus above me, swinging his lightsaber at my face. The vision had been wrong about that experience. Instead of dueling, we were battling in space. The vision was right about a conflict between Arrotesdus and I, and the vision was right about Arrotesdus being a Sith. What did the figure mean then?

I still had a chance of facing Arrotesdus again. All I needed was to be found. _Yeah right._ My hopes were at an all time low. I had been on this planet for at least six standard months. Time could be different on this planet, too. The place was in the Outer Rim. In the Outer Rim, a day could be a week in reality. I wouldn't know unless I returned to Coruscant.

Maybe the war was over by now. My spirits lifted a little at that thought. The Jedi would have new priorities. A time of peace would bring the right thoughts into the Jedis' minds. Following the Force could be a reality again. My dream of peace in the galaxy could be a reality.

Then again, much about the Jedi wouldn't change. Also, the Sith may still exist after the war ended. Conflict would resurface between them one day. On that day, the Jedi would prioritize their focus back to ending the war and not following the Force.

How did the Jedi not sense the Sith? The galaxy was in a time of peace: the Dark Side couldn't be so powerful throughout the galaxy that the Sith's presence wasn't felt. Everything didn't add up: the Sith just mysteriously reappeared. Also, we were defenseless in their attack. We had no defense, just Jedi who only practiced their lightsaber skills. The Jedi practiced peace, but they should've built weaponry in preparation of war. Jedi were, after all, peace protectors.

The day lingered on as I continued to think about the beginning of the war. If I ever returned to Coruscant, I would figure out everything about how the war began. I would figure out all of Jedi philosophies. Even if the figure wasn't real, I deserved to know more.

T-7 rolled over to me. _Beeeep._ He was getting tired and wanted to be recharged. I tried to move my legs, but only my toes twitched. I reached through the Force and electric tube plugged itself into T-7. T-7 turned off, allowing his circuits to charge up fully and quickly.

The mist around me started to shift quickly, or my vision was getting blurry. I could feel my head lose all its weight, and my brain was light. My arms started to tingle at my side, my right arm smacking against the burn. I didn't feel any pain anywhere in my body. My entire body was numb, not just my legs. Saliva started to fall down the corner of my mouth. My eyes were open, but I could feel my mind fall out of consciousness. In a couple of minutes, my spirit left my body, but I could still feel myself held to the living world.

My mind drifted in and out of consciousness after that. My vision was never completely focused, just blurred movements. Lights were really bothering, as well. T-7's built-in flashlight would consistently blind me whenever he thought I was asleep. His worry level had risen to all time high. He continuously bumped into me to see if I was still alive. I was too sick to respond, leaving him to worry even more.

One day, T-7 got worried even more. I could feel a light much stronger on my face. It seemed to be moving down from the sky, which didn't make sense. My brain was so damaged that I couldn't think of what was happening. I could heard a wind blow down from the sky, as if an invisible jet was blowing on the surface. The most bizarre part of my vision was the vine net I had built long ago. The net seemed to be dropping lower than naturally possible. The middle of the vine was almost touching the water as I noticed a giant piece of rock was laying on the net. Shooting out of the rock was a very focused, strong beam of light. The light started to get blocked as a blackened outline of a human body walked towards me. A loud, happy beep vibrated in my ear as a laugh joined in the loud sound. I could hear a voice laughing. "Well, look at how the mighty Jedi have fallen." My mind drifted back into unconsciousness as I felt my body lift into the air.

For the first time in a long time, I wasn't in a swampy land. There were no vines, nor mist, that surrounded me. Instead, I was with computers and data monitors. To my left, I could see a heartbeat monitor with my face displayed. The beat was normal. _Thank goodness._ I felt much better, too. My legs could move to my command again and my side was wrapped up, covering the burn wound. I tried to reach for my neck, but my arms were still too tired to move.

I looked at my arms. A tiny tube was sticked into my right forearm, passing a blue liquid into my body. I swallowed my mouth and looked to my right. A window had replaced some of the wall and I could see buildings rising up to the sky outside. Ships flew by in every direction. I was back on Coruscant.

The door to my room and in came several people. The only recognizable person was Sectillo, who seemed relieved to see me alive. "Look, the sucker's awake." I looked to Sectillo's right and saw a scruffy-looking man. He wore simple clothes, a brown robe and white shorts. He had black boots on, and attached to his side was a blaster. "You must be a Bounty Hunter." I muttered.

The Bounty Hunter nodded. "You got that right."

"You must be the one who rescued me," I began. "I am forever in your debt. Thank you for saving my life." The scruff waved his hands.

"No need, bud. I just want my money." I coughed up a soft laugh.

"Now, I definitely know you're a Bounty Hunter. What is your name?"

"Bullucum. Where's my money?" Sectillo rose his hand.

"Patience, my friend. The Jedi will pay you for your misfortunes soon." Bullucum laughed.

"My misfortunes? I nearly lost my ship looking for this guy."

My curiosity was piked. "What happened?" Bullucum frowned at me.

"What do you mean what happened? We're in the middle of the war. How long have you been you gone?"

I looked out the window. _There was still war._ The ships continued to fly as if it was another peaceful day. The sky was perfectly clear, and the sun was starting to set. This was the first time I could see the Sun since I first crashed. The mist had always blocked any view of space or the upper atmosphere. I kind of missed the mist. I had grown so use to the climate. I was accustomed to the animals, too. I didn't hear animal screeches or croaks anymore. The only sounds in the room were various machines operating.

"So, the war is still happening? How long have I been gone?" Sectillo stepped forward.

"You've been gone for three years." _Three years?_ It seemed there was a time difference on the planet. My guess was right.

"It only felt like six months." Sectillo nodded in understandment.

"The planet had a time difference. Bullucum here said he was on the planet for minutes, but when he looked at his computer several hours had passed." Bullucum shifted.

"That was one weird planet."

Sectillo shifted his gaze to me. "Can you describe the planet to me, Protenuus?"

I responded, "Yes, master, but could I ask some questions first? I've been gone for so long." Sectillo closed his eyes and motioned for everyone else in the room to leave. Bullucum and several doctors, who were checking on my health status, left. Sectillo grabbed a chair and sat down.

"What would you like to know, Protenuus?" I looked at Sectillo.

"Tell me about the war."

"The war is nearing an end, that much I can say is a good thing. The Jedi have lost a substantial number. Many planets are in turmoil and lost any form of government. The Sith have lost a considerable number, as well." Sectillo talked in his usual emotionless tone, except when he spoke about the Jedi.

I remembered what I told myself in the cave. "Master, the planet I landed on: it was very strong in the Force." Sectillo shifted in his chair.

"How strong?" I breathed in.

"Master, can the Force create illusions?"

"It depends on what kind of illusions." I stared at the ground.

"Can the Force create people?" Sectillo stared at me in confusion.

"Even the Force can't create a new person. What exactly did you see on this planet?" Just like the kyber crystal, I knew it better than to tell the truth, at least not all of the truth.

"I never actually saw the person's face. There was a cave on the planet. The Force seemed to travel to it. I entered one day and, in the corner of the room, I saw a figure laying down."

"I see. Did the figure say anything?"

"He seemed to know the Force, and the Jedi. He wasn't completely fond of the Jedi."

"In what way?"

"He didn't believe in the Jedi's following of the Force. He believed a person should use both the Light and the Dark."

Sectillo laughed. "You should know that when someone starts to use the Dark Side, forever it will control the person's destiny. The Dark Side is evil. How, then, can someone use both good and evi?"

Sectillo didn't understand the true Nature of the Dark Side. "Master, what if the Dark Side wasn't evil? The Dark Side is a part of the Force, right? Would the Force be evil then?"

I saw the master's eyes inspect me like many times before. "What are you saying, my young padawan?"

"What if the Dark Side is something else then evil? What if the Dark Side was emotion? Emotion is uncalculating, dangerous, like the Dark Side."

"Are you saying the Dark Side is just impossible to be understood because it isn't rational?"

"Yes!" I inched forward, thinking Sectillo was beginning to understand. "We don't understand the Dark Side and can't predict what it will do. The reason is because we can't predict emotion either, which arises from the Dark Side."

Sectillo was silent. The Master was deep in thought. "If what you say is true, it doesn't matter. We, as Jedi, are to be devoid of emotion, and, therefore, not use the Dark Side."

"But, we are followers of the Force, yes? We should use all its parts to be true followers."

"Are you saying you want to use the Dark Side? You are a Jedi, Protenuus. Jedi do not use the Dark Side. We protect the galaxy. We cannot use the Dark Side because it would bring unnecessary danger to the galaxy."

 _Protect._ Our goal as Jedi is to bring peace, not protect. Protection and peace weren't the same thing.

"Master, our job is to bring peace to the galaxy."

"That is correct. Shouldn't we protect, as well?"

"Shouldn't we? Master, the Jedi already have a Code."

Sectillo rose out of his chair. "I don't wish to continue this conversation. Let's speak tomorrow." Taking my role, the Master left the room without saying anything.

I looked around the room. The room was bright due to the white colors that painted the walls. The sky outside was dark due to the sun setting down completely. Soon, the sky would be black, like space.

I got up out of bed with my arms dangling at my side. The heart rate monitor turned off, sensing I had left the bed. I yanked the tube out of my arm, spilling blue liquid on the floor. The door opened automatically as I walked to the exit. The hall was empty. There was enough space for one person to walk forward and the other behind. My eyes darted behind and in front of me.

The hospital had several ships ready for take off from my limited memory. If I could get to one, I could fly over to the Jedi Temple. All that was left was to avoid being seen. I was on the search for more about the Jedi's involvement in the war and how the war actually started. I knew if someone found me, especially Sectillo, I would have to come up with an excuse.

I was on the third floor, according to the hospital map. If I kept walking down the hall, I would eventually reach the elevator and descend to the bottom floor which held transportation. I stopped as I reached a corner. Peeking over, I could see two Jedi Temple Guards standing by the elevator. My talk with Sectillo probably brought him to trust me even less. If I was going to leave the hospital, I would need to find another way. I looked over my shoulder: a room was empty with a view of the city. I walked in and opened the window. The drop was huge, but a walkway was slightly off to the left, disappearing into the building just below the room.

I had much more energy than back on the swamp. If I jumped just right, I could land safely. I stepped on the ledge of the room. The air was moving quickly against my face, bringing a cold breeze on my face. My robes rose and fell with the path of the wind. I closed my eyes and an invisible wind filled my chest. My feet bursted off the ground. My body was pulled towards the ground, my gut rising up in my chest.

Just as my feet touched the ground, I rose my arm out. The Force pushed me upwards, taking away my momentum. My feet landed safely on the ground and I wasn't seen. I ran inside and checked the map: the hallway was on level one. According to the map, the transportation vehicles were just down the hall pass the corner. I reached the corner and looked over again. There were no guards this time. I ran into the room and saw a dozen ships all of different size and design. I ran to the smallest ship so as to minimize the chance of being seen.

The ship lifted quickly, lifting me off the seat for a split second. The ship was built a lot like a Jedi fighter, so I adjusted to the controls rather easily. I flew out of the hangar. My focus was one hundred percent focused on not crashing into another ship. They flew all around me, senseless of my position. I could see the Jedi Temple in the distance, erected out of the ground with no neighbor buildings. I was careful to avoid the ships as I reached the Temple. No one was in the hangar, which was lucky. The ship landed gracefully and I jumped out of the seat. Someone from the hospital must have known I left by now. I ran out of the hangar and into the hall. I checked every corner before I passed, so careful in not being seen.

My destination was the library, which was on the other side of the Temple. To get to the library, I had to pass through the main hall. I would most likely be seen there. First, I ran into a clothing closet and grabbed a robe. I made sure to pull the hood over my face, allowing the ground only to be visible.

I got to the main hall a couple minutes after. I slowed my pace down, so, if anyone was there, they wouldn't be suspicious. I felt like a Rancor: I was moving so slowly. Finally, I reached the exit and picked up my pace again. I ran down the hall and reached the library. It was exit, except for the librarian. The librarian rose her head, hearing the shuffling of my feet.

"Can I help you?" She rose up and started to walk towards me. She was slower than a rancor.

"Uh, no. Thank you. I was just going to do some late night studying."

"Oh, but you don't have any books." I clenched my fist, shaming my quick thinking.

"Yes, you're right. I was actually on my way to check some out."

"Oh, which ones?" I thought about every book I ever read in the library. The perfect book came to my mind.

"I was planning to check out the book on the history of the Sith and Jedi conflicts."

The librarian made an "oh!" face and walked to one of the columns. After clicking some buttons and grabbing a tablet, she returned.

"Here you go."

"Thank you." I walked to a table and tapped on the tablet. A category page opened up, asking which chapter I wished to go to.

I began with Chapter 1. I could feel the librarian's eyes still one, curious on why I chose this book. Although I wasn't learning more about this war, I could learn more about past wars and the Sith themselves. There wasn't much information about the origin of the Sith.

The Sith were originally a red-skinned species that lived on the planet of Korriban. Power struggles happened often. Artifacts were hard to find dating back to this time because war prevented much from surviving. I swiped to a couple sections ahead, Chapter 5.

The Sith now had the ability to leave the planet. Discovering the existence of the Jedi, the Sith united against their opponents. At first, the battle was one sided. The Sith did not have conventional lightsabers. Their weapons consisted more sharpened blades connected to sticks. After discovering the existence of kyber crystals, the Sith grew in their ambition to win. The Sith attacked a Jedi stronghold on the planet of Naboo, stealing their lightsabers. In a long drawn-out war, the Sith eventually found themselves victorious. The main component to the Sith's success was their unceasing desire to defeat a calm, sensible foe and their lack of remorse. I swiped to Chapter 7.

After a Dark era of Sith supremacy, the Jedi had regained power. People of these times reported being much more happier and safer because of the Jedi's watchful eye. The Sith, in their defeat, retreated back to Korriban shamefully. For many years, they grew in strength and power, but they did not dare attack the Jedi, not yet. Their leader, Darth Vitiate, was cunning in developing the Dark Empire. He wanted their numbers to double the Jedi. Slowly and slowly, the Dark Lord gained allies in the Dark Side. No one is sure how he increased his numbers so successfully. Some say lost Jedi were corrupted into joining the Dark Alliance while others believe natives of Korriban naturally joined. Whatever the reason, the Empire grew until Darth Vitiate's unexpected death. Many speculated that he was killed by a power-hungry member of the Sith organization. Others believed he died of natural causes. In Vitiate's death, a conflict arose on who his successor would be. The result of the conflict was a massive decrease in numbers.

Eventually, a leader would arise. The leader would be Naga Sadow. Naga Sadow was a wise individual. He knew how to gain support politically, and, using his political power, he amassed an army that would rival the Jedi. The Jedi were unaware of the actions occurring on Korriban. They were still focused on rebuilding after the first Sith-Jedi conflict. The Jedi, therefore, were surprised when the Sith Empire, led by Naga Sadow in his meditation bubble, attacked the Jedi Council on Dantooine. The Jedi fled closer to the Inner Rim, causing the Sith to wait on their attack. The Jedi would land on Coruscant and catch their feet, engaging the Sith back on Dantooine soon after.

The conflict lasted for many years. To this day, some planets are still recovering from the conflict. Naga Sadow directed his army towards the Inner Rim. The Sith Lord wanted to attack at the heart of the Jedi. Some say this was Sadow's greatest mistake. Although the Jedi were unprepared for the initial attack, they were prepared for Sadow's assault on Coruscant. The Sith were overwhelmed as soon as they landed on the planet. Naga Sadow, who never landed on the planet, retreated back to Korriban in his meditation bubble. The Jedi were waiting for him. While Naga Sadow was focused on attacking Coruscant, a small band of Jedi attacked the small group of Sith still on the home planet. When Sadow reached the planet, he was overwhelmed. The last of the Sith was defeated and the Jedi had won the war. Not everyone was satisfied with this finale, however. Many speculate that some Sith escaped the Jedi and fled Korriban. Those that say so believe that the Dark Lords fled into Unknown Space and await their return to this day, just like Darth Vitiate did many years before.

My interest was piked because I knew the next chapter was about the war we were in now. I would finally get to learn more about this conflict. I swiped right, but the screen remained on Chapter 7. Confused, I went back to the category section. There was no Chapter 8. The book had no information about the current war, but why? The Sith had returned. The spectacle ones were right: the Sith had survived.

I walked over to the librarian. "Excuse me. I was wondering something." The librarian rose her head surprisingly.

"Oh, of course, dear. How can I help you?"

"Well, I was looking for information about the current war, but the book doesn't seem to have anything."

"Oh, is that right? Let me have a look, dear." The librarian laughed, thinking I was stupid. She looked through the book for several minutes with a tightened look on her face. "This is strange. I don't know what to say."

The librarian looked at me as if I had the answer. "Shouldn't there be information about the war?" The librarian nodded in agreement.

"I'll ask Master Sectillo tomorrow." I had almost forgot. I needed to get back to the hospital so no one knew I had left. I suspected Sectillo wouldn't be okay with my trying to learn more about the war. At least, he wouldn't be happy about the way I was doing it.

"Thank you so much for your help, but I should get some sleep." The librarian smiled.

"Of course, I'll let you know what Master Sectillo tells me. Good night!" She exclaimed as I started to walk out. At this time of the night, I had a very little chance of running into anyone, but I still covered my face with the hood.

I reached the hangar without running into anyone. During the whole trip back, I thought about the past conflicts of the Sith and Jedi. Conflict arose in every era, regardless of who was in power. The Jedi were in power and the Sith attacked. The Sith were in power and the Jedi attacked. Sectillo had told me that the Jedi desire only peace, but the book said otherwise. I could understand engaging in a war when the Sith attacked. The Jedi, however, instigated the second conflict after the Sith ruled. Perhaps the excuse was that evil ruled, but I knew better. I knew better now. The Sith weren't evil: they were dangerous and powerful, like the Jedi.

The Jedi wanted power during those times. They still do. Although the Sith started the war, the Jedi weren't willing to end it if the Sith gained power in any way. In the meantime, citizens of the galaxy suffered the effects of Sith-Jedi wars. They were suffering right now. I could imagine the swamp world in ruins if the Jedi and Sith ever fought there. All the mist would disappear or weaken greatly. There would be no more animals disrupting the silence and the cave. _The cave._ A pile of trees and vines would replace the cave. The Force would be in ruins, no longer having a place to go to.

As I jumped back into the room with the open window, I grew depressed at the thought of losing the cave. Even if I was hallucinating, I still learned actual truths about the Force. If the cave were destroyed because of the Sith and Jedi, others would lose the valuable opportunity to learn more about the Force. Someone needed to protect the cave and the citizens of the Galaxy, so that they would find peace.

I slipped into bed. The heart rate monitor started to beep again, sensing my return. I reached for the tube and plugged it back into my arm. The ground was soiled with blue liquid. I would have to come up with an excuse on why that happened. I closed my eyes while thinking of a convincing-enough story.

I woke up to find Sectillo sitting on the chair next to me. He was starting at the ground in a sad sort of way. "Good morning, Protenuus." Sectillo said without looking at me.

"Good morning, Master."

Sectillo rose his head and looked at me. "Why were you in the Jedi library last night?" I widened his eyes.

"How did you know?" Sectillo laughed. "I am Jedi Master! I can sense something is off. Plus, the librarian thought she saw you yesterday." So, he knew about the book, too. There was no point in lying.

"I was reading about past Jedi and Sith Wars."

"DId you learn anything interesting?"

"I did. The Jedi and Sith have been fighting ever since they found out the other existed. I thought the Jedi desired peace, Master."

"Indeed, they do. The Sith have stood in the way of peace, Protenuus."

"If that's the case, then why did we, when the Sith were in rule, attack first? We started a war."

"Ah, you are referring to the Great Hyperspace War, or rather how it came about. The Sith have always been evil, Protenuus. If we are to have true peace, we must stop the evil that prevents it from arising."

I clenched my teeth. The Sith aren't evil. Yes, they did terrible things, but they did it to gain power. They embraced emotion to gain power, and so, they would do whatever they felt was necessary to gain power.

I know Arrotesdus isn't evil. He may have changed, but he does not do terrible things for the sake of terrible things. Sectillo sighed.

"You know about Arrotesdus."

"Yes, Master. Arrotesdus isn't evil. I know that he is a Sith now, but he is not evil."

"Protenuus, once one embraces the Dark Side, there is no turning back. Arrotesdus has done terrible things in your absence. He slaughtered an entire town, your old town. He destroyed your home town on Dantooine."

"What?" I couldn't believe it. Arrotesdus had grown up there. How and why had he fallen so much?

"I'm sorry, but he must be stopped. You, as a Jedi, must kill the Sith that has consumed Arrotesdus."

"Consumed? Does he go by a different name now?"

"No, but he might as well. The Arrotesdus that we knew would never do anything I have witnessed him do."

"I can't kill him."

"This is why Jedi do not form attachments. We do what is necessary to bring peace. Arrotesdus stands in the way of peace, Protenuus."

"Are you telling me to kill Arrotesdus?"

"The task should go to no one else."

I tightened my face. "Why me? Why force his friend to kill him?"

"Because if you are to become a Jedi, you must do what a Jedi would do. This is the ultimate trial, Protenuus."

I could feel my breathing increase. My heart was pounding out of my chest. My ultimate dream was to become a Jedi. Now, my most ultimate obstacle would be the last one I would expect. I needed to kill Arrotesdus if I were to become a Jedi.

"I need some alone time, Master." Sectillo stood up and patted my leg with his tiny, green arm.

"I understand. I hope you choose the right path."

Sectillo walked to the door, but stopped before leaving. "I will return later today to talk about your next mission." Without another word, the Master exited the room.

I laid in bed thoughtless. My mind was at a blank. The world seemed to be motionless. My best friend, my brother, needed to die at my hand. Would I have the strength to kill him?

My mind replayed the last time I saw him. His ship was approaching mine, turrets aimed at my ship. He had the chance, then and there, to blow me in a fiery crisp. Instead, he let me drift off. As I stared into his face, I thought he wanted to give me a slow death, but now, I understood what really happened. Arrotesdus felt remorse. He didn't want to kill me. Instead, he damaged my ship enough that I could only watch as I drifted away. My friend was still in there. When I confronted Arrotesdus again, I would do everything I could to bring him back. I didn't know how his father's death turned him to the Dark Side, but I would find out.

As he said, Sectillo returned to my room later that day. He came with a surprising guest, as well. At his side, Bullucum came with a grin across his face. "Hello there, bud. I see you're healing finely." Bullucum and Sectillo sat down.

"Now, Protenuus, I have a mission for you." Sectillo reached into his pocket and grabbed a tablet. Placing the tablet on the bed and raising his arm, a hologram displayed itself, showing an image of Kashyyk, a forest world home to Wookies. Sectillo began speaking, "The Sith have attacked Kashyyk in the hopes of eliminating a major ally of ours, the Wookiees. The Wookiees have been able to keep the Sith in space for the time being. The Republic is sending a Jedi and one naval battalion to assist in the battle. We have received word that the leader of the Sith at the battle is Arrotesdus."

"So, you want me to go?" I asked. The Master closed his mouth. "Yes, the time is now to bring peace to Kashyyk."

"Is it also time to stop this 'Sith'?"

"Yes, your trial awaits you. The medical droid has informed me that you will be fully healed by tomorrow. Tomorrow, you will engage the enemy over Kashyyk." I looked over at Bullucum, who seemed to be waiting for another announcement.

"Why is Bullucum here?"

"I'm glad you asked." Bullucum smiled. He looked at Sectillo. Sectillo exclaimed, "Bullucum has volunteered to assist in the war effort. He wishes to join you on your assault over Kashyyk."

I asked Bullucum, "You wish to fight for the Republic and the Jedi?" He smiled.

"I almost lost my ship because of the Sith. An eye for an eye, that's what I live by. Well, in this case, it's an eye for almost an eye. Either way, you need me. I'm one of the best pilots you'll ever see." I smiled.

"You're hired then." Bullucum raised his hand.

"There'll be no need to pay me. I'm doing it out of the goodness of my heart. Also, call me Luc."

"Very well," Sectillo said as he stood up. He looked at me with concern.

"I take it that you are going to fight then? You've decided to become a Jedi and do what is necessary?"

I answered, "Yes, I have."

I had already decided that I would confront Arrotesdus. I did not decide, however, that I would do what the Jedi thought was necessary, unless it came to that. I would do everything in my abilities to pull Arrotesdus back from the darkness, from the suffering. If Arrotesdus had truly fallen, then I would have no choice. Sectillo smiled. "You will be a great Jedi." Luc chuckled.

"Whatever. Let's kill some Sith. All I care about is giving them what they deserve." Luc shook my hand and left the room. Sectillo smiled once more then left the room.

I didn't sleep that night. I thought of all the scenarios that would happen when I would meet Arrotesdus. I wasn't sure what I was going to say or what he was going to say. The last words spoken from Arrotesdus were "I'm leaving the Jedi Order." What would this new Arrotesdus say? What would I say? Could my vision be what happens when I meet him?

LIght began to rise over the horizon when Luc came inside. "It's time to go." I got up and grabbed my lightsaber. I opened the middle, seeing a green kyber filling the hole. I reached into my pocket. I could feel the grey kyber lay comfortably on the bottom of my pocket. I felt stronger with the Force when I used the grey kyber, but I was going to use the green one last time. I don't know why I had chosen to use the green only once more. To the day I am telling this story, I see it as an in-the-moment decision.

We reached the hangar of the hospital and flew to the military center. Two massive Republic Destroyers were waiting for us. Luc and I were to command from _The Judger_ , one of the largest Destroyers in the Republic fleet. As I landed next to the ship, I could see the hangar: it was large and contained many ships. The layout of the hangar was very familiar, but I couldn't discern from where I had seen it before. Luc and I reached the bridge as the ships started to take off.

I looked around the commanders. They were normal people, called into the military at a time of war. I exclaimed so everyone on the bridge could hear me, as well as those listening over the intercom. "I know that many of you didn't choose to be in this war. I want peace like you, believe me. We have a great opportunity here to strike a major blow to the Sith Empire here. I wish the best to each and every one of you. May the Force Be with You."

The ship exited out of the atmosphere. The other Destroyer was to our right. Around us, hundreds of B-wings and A-wings flew with us.

The stars around us started to thin out into lines. Our ships moved into unbelievable speed. My mind replayed the vision that I saw so long ago. I thought of what I would see when we reached Kashyyyk. I took a deep breath, silencing my mind.

The stars turned back into circles. Explosions and Beams of light appeared in front of us. Immediately, the many B-wings and A-wings flew off into battle. I searched for the heavy and light feeling, the same I felt on the cliff many, many years ago. A darkness was felt on the Sith Destroyer far away orbiting the planet. I knew the feeling: it belonged to a dear friend of mine. I went to the window displaying the battlefield. My eyes focused on the Sith Destroyer, looking for my old friend, looking for Arrotesdus. I breathed deeply and turned. I walked to the hangar as soldiers ran past me, hurrying to their positions. Eventually, the halls were quiet due to my slow pace and everyone else had already reached their ships or designations. I reached the hangar and saw a circle of fire where ships once dwelled.

Most of the ships had flown into battle, but an unlucky few were caught in the fire. Soldiers laid on the floor motionless. All of them had a distinguishing mark to explain their deaths. Deep burns had been carved into their bodies. The burns' origins were very clear, for in the middle of the hangar was someone I knew. Holding a red lightsaber with his hood down, Arrotesdus stood, staring at me with a deep hatred. He looked at me and said, "So, you have come to face your death, my old friend."


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

Arrotesdus stood there, letting his lightsaber hang off his hand. The fires were burning brightly, exposing all of Arrotesdus' face. His eyes were now a more red-yellow combination than just a solid yellow. His eyes had sunken deeper inward, evident by the black skin surrounding his eyes. All his hair was gone, except for the small, thin moustache. I could slightly see the brown line across his face. Veins were protruding out of his face, traveling towards his eyes. The most disturbing aspect of his transformed body was his skin. The once warm, blur skin had lightened into an almost white cyan.

I jumped over the stairs and landed a couple feet from Arrotesdus. He smiled as I rose to his level. I unclicked my lightsaber, but I didn't ignite the blade. I wasn't going to fight him, not yet. I looked around us: bodies had been mangled. I recognized most of the men as Republic men. Burning blade marks were located in different places on each body, but each mark was effective enough in killing the enemy.

I looked around for Arrotesdus' ship and saw it far off on the other side of the hangar. No fires surrounded the ship. Bodies laid near the ship, all belonging to Republic soldiers. Arrotesdus, it seems, had landed on the ship all by himself, and he had slain every soldier single-handedly.

"You've been training, my friend." I looked at Arrotesdus, who had kept his dark smile this entire time.

"I've become more powerful than any Jedi, including you."

"You were once a Jedi, too."

"I was once a fool. If only you had seen the truth, you could've joined me."

"I would never join the Sith. It was our dream to bring peace, Arrotesdus. Why would you join the Sith then?"

"Because I know who the Jedi truly are. They don't seek peace. They only desire power and will do anything to have it, or keep it."

"What are you talking about? Are you talking about your father's death?"

Arrotesdus stepped back startled. I could feel the Dark Side grow in him. He rose his lightsaber to further expose his face.

"What do you know about my father? You never cared about what happened to him."

"I never asked because I thought you couldn't talk about it."

"That's what you thought? No, you're lying. You didn't ask because you didn't want to!"

Arrotesdus charged at me. His lightsaber went horizontal and charged towards my chest. I ignited my lightsaber at the last second, blocking the fatal blow. Arrotesdus spun, swinging the lightsaber towards my head. I rose my blade, meeting the red blade in the air. Arrotesdus continued to throw blows. His attacks were powerful enough that I had to step backwards to regain my balance. My brother pushed and pushed until I was inches from the fire. My clothes started to heat up.

Arrotesdus rose his lightsaber and threw it downwards. I rose my lightsaber from my feet and met his attack. Arrotesdus pushed his blade against mine. My back was moving closer and closer to the fire, warming my body to a very uncomfortable level. I flexed my legs, trying to push back against Arrotesdus. Not seeing any change in my stance, I spun away from the fire. Arrotesdus was so focused on pushing me towards the fire that he lost his footing when I spun. He caught himself just before his face flew into the flames.

I stepped back towards the center of the hangar, clear of any fire. Arrotesdus walked slowly towards me. We circled around in the hangar. Each of us was waiting for the other to strike. I didn't wish to fight my brother. I tried to continue to the conversation. 

"Tell me what happened."

"I'm sure the Jedi already told you what happened, or what they think did."

"Then tell me what YOU think happened."

"No, I don't think I will." Arrotesdus charged at me, breaking the circle. I rose my lightsaber to stop his side swing. Our blades impacted against each other. The air started to mix into brown highlight, an unusual color for a lightsaber to make. Our blades pushed against each other, trying to gain the upper hand.

Arrotesdus and I looked at each other. His focus was at an all time high, purely hatred and anger. Was his hatred directed towards me? Was he really angry at the Jedi and not me? _What will you do when you face your Sith friend?_ My future self came into my vision. Surely, the philosophies and ideals I learned wouldn't wish for me to kill Arrotesdus. I, myself, didn't want to kill him either.

I thought about what I could do to calm Arrotesdus. I had learned a lot in the cave, but I didn't learn any new Force abilities. I gasped as I remembered touching the plant in the cave. I had learned more about the Dark Side when I did. I could see into other's minds when I touched the plant. The Force works in mysterious ways.

Our blades stayed in contact. I reached for the light and heavy feeling that I had felt so many times before. The feeling arrived instantly after. I directed the substance to pass through my left hand. Taking the hand off my lightsaber handled, I reached for Arrotesdus' arm. As my hand touched his arm, the Force exploded like a volcano waiting to burst its cone.

Thoughts of the past of Arrotesdus flew into my mind. I saw the day we went to the cliff, and I discovered my Force sensitivity. Arrotesdus was frightened and excited in that moment. He had almost plummeted to his death and joined his father. _His father._

Suddenly, I was in Arrotesdus' old home. The weather was terrible outside. Rain fell like hail and the ground was muddy. Arrotesdus and I stood in the center of the living room. The door outside was open, letting trailing water into the house. Arrotesdus was breathing heavily. He was terrified. In front of us, Arrotesdus' father stood, facing a hooded figure. I remembered what Sectillo had told me about the day. A Sith had landed on the planet, but Arrotesdus' father tried to stop him.

When I looked at the figure, I didn't see a Sith. His face wasn't damaged, nor did his eyes possess a yellow hue. In fact, the person looked like a Jedi. My suspicions were confirmed when the figure ignited a blue lightsaber. "Let me through. The Sith must die or a great darkness will come to the galaxy." The Jedi rose his lightsaber, gesturing for Arrotesdus' father to move.

I felt a darkness come into the room. To the side, another hooded figure came into the room. This man felt much more like a Sith. He rose his hand. "Pleje, I'll go." The person was talking to Arrotesdus' father.

Pleje rose his hand. "No, the Jedi will kill you. They don't see you as a person, just as an incarnation of evil."

"The Sith are evil. That's why you need to let me pass."

Pleje rose his hands, blocking the path. He wasn't going to let the Jedi pass. "Yes, this man has done terrible things, but he is not evil. He is sorry for his actions. He's shown me so." The Jedi sighed and kept his lightsaber pointing at Pleje.

"The Sith don't feel sorry for their sins. When they fully embrace the Dark Side, they are lost forever. Reioi was lost when he turned to the Dark Side." Reioi, the Sith Lord, stepped towards Pleje. He put his hand on Arrotesdus' father's shoulder.

"You don't have to do this." Pleje looked over his shoulder at Reioi. He shooked his head, refusing to give way. The Jedi was growing impatient. He started to move forward, realizing Pleje wasn't going to move.

"I'll ask you one more time. Will you move aside?" Pleje stood there. He looked behind at Arrotesdus, who was very frightened. My brother sat in the corner, not knowing what to do. Pleje was near tears, seeing what the future held for him. "I'm sorry, Arrotesdus."

Pleje charged at the Jedi, grabbing Reioi's lightsaber in the process. He ignited the red blade and attacked the Jedi. Untrained, Arrotesdus' father didn't last for long. After blocking the first blow, the Jedi sidestepped and impaled Pleje. The man looked over at his son, shocked and alone in the corner. He glanced over at Reioi, mouthing the words "Take care of my son," as he fell to the floor. Reioi clenched his fists. He stared at Arrotesdus, stuck between two decisions. He wanted to attack the Jedi for killing his friend, but he knew that his son had just lost his father.

For what seemed like hours, the Sith stood there. He took a deep breath and looked once more at Arrotesdus. He said one line, "Don't become like me," and charged at the Jedi. Reioi pulled the red blade into his hand using the Force and engaged Pleje's killer. The two combatants slowly transitioned outside, leaving the young boy to look over his father's dead body.

Arrotesdus was crying. He bent down next to his father, hoping he was still alive. My brother nudged Pleje's body, which moved without control. Arrotesdus reached for his hand, moving Pleje's arm up and down. The young boy looked at Pleje's face. His eyes were stuck in one position, not even a small jitter.

The whole time Arrotesdus stayed with his father, blades could be heard in the distance. Shouts and echoes came into the room. The sound of lightsabers impacting were the loudest and longest. Every time the lightsabers met, Arrotesdus looked into Pleje's eyes. He reimagined the green blade impacting his father's chest as he heard the blades meet.

The blades' sounds stopped after a while. The only consistent sound now was the rain splashing against the ground. In the distant, I could hear the sound of thunder.

The Jedi came back in the room. Reioi was nowhere to be found. The Jedi looked down at Arrotesdus who was still trying to wake Pleje. "I'm sorry for your loss, son. I hope you understand why I had to do this." My brother looked up at the Jedi. He wanted to hurt the man, but he felt powerless. The Jedi had just killed his father and, most likely, Reioi, as well.

The Jedi knelt down and gave the boy a sympathetic look. "The Sith are evil, son. I did what I did to protect the galaxy. One day, you may become a Jedi and see what our duty to the galaxy is." Arrotesdus bit on his lip. "I hate you." Without another word, the Jedi left the house. Arrotesdus sat there next to his father, hearing the constant splashing of the rain on the ground.

The scene shifted to Arrotesdus' realization of his Force sensitivity. He was with me in the field. I was still ecstatic at discovering my new abilities. I reached my arm out and up rose some rocks. "I don't know why it took so long for me to do this." My young self looked over at Arrotesdus. He was staring at the ground. My brother thought of the rainy night. He knew that I would go to the Jedi Temple one day. He would become a Jedi one day.

Arrotesdus had tried to understand why his father died. Pleje had tried to protect Reioi, an enemy of the Sith. Since that day, Arrotesdus seeked to learn more about both the Jedi and the Sith. His mother died when he was young, so he couldn't ask her. Instead, he asked his adopted mother, Protenuus' mother, about the two people. She didn't know much, except that the Jedi were a peaceful group. They sought to protect the galaxy; Arrotesdus started to understand the Jedi and Sith rivalry.

"Are you okay, Arrotesdus?" My young self asked. I looked at Arrotesdus. "Don't worry. You'll be able to use the Force soon." Arrotesdus didn't care about the Force. He didn't want to use the Force. He wanted to stay away from the Jedi and the Sith, but Protenuus always dreamed about becoming a Jedi. His new brother wanted nothing more. Arrotesdus couldn't admit the truth to him. Protenuus was the only person he had left.

"Yeah, I guess." Protenuus jerked his head.

"Come on. Let's go."

We walked through the tall, thin grass. The blades shifted calmly. The breeze was light that day, causing other blades to move. Not too far away, some of the blades were moving rapidly. Arrotesdus and my young self thought the wind was stronger over there, nothing more. Our beliefs were wrong as a small, four legged animal came running through the grass. I was knocked to the ground and Arrotesdus rose his hands reflexively. The animal stopped, noticing our alertness. The animal charged at Protenuus, who was still on the ground. Arrotesdus reached his hand out.

The animal stopped before it could bite Protenuus. It had a small, thick mouth, consisting of a few large teeth. The brown-skinned animal was jerking side-to-side. Its legs lifted off the ground. My young self looked over at Arrotesdus who had risen his hand in the air. The animal followed my brother's hand movements. The light and heavy feeling, but mostly heavy, passed through Arrotesdus' hand and lifted the animal up. Arrotesdus blinked and let the animal down, which sprinted into the grass as its feet touched the ground.

My young self smiled. "I told you." Arrotesdus stared at his hand. He was able to use the Force and, therefore, would travel to the Jedi Temple with Protenuus. _Maybe Arrotesdus would see the Jedi who killed my father_ , he thought.

The scene shifted again. Arrotesdus and I were in the Jedi Temple. I was too excited to see Arrotesdus looking around the main hall in search of something. "It's bigger than I imagined." I ran down the hall, exhausted when I reached the end. Arrotesdus walked slowly down the hall. He was looking around the room. The Jedi who killed his father was not in the hall apparently. My young self didn't know this, however. I had thought Arrotesdus was fascinated at the size of the hall. "It's amazing, isn't it?"

Arrotesdus answered out of focus, "Yeah, it is."

The main hall changed into the day when the Sith attacked. I was talking to some Jedi Masters, eager to learn more about the Order. Arrotesdus was sitting on stairs. He could feel something heavy, and dark, come closer and closer to the Temple. It was moving quickly, and it was familiar. Arrotesdus had felt the darkness before, but it wasn't as powerful as it was today. He lost his focus as some Jedi Masters grabbed Arrotesdus. "You need to get to your room now." Arrotesdus looked past the Master and saw a hooded figure enter the hall. Behind him, a ship was flying fast. As Arrotesdus passed the corner, he saw the wall burst open and red blades charge at green and blue.

Arrotesdus left the room when the fighting had truly ended. The main hall was in ruins. Carpets had been torn and destroyed. Pillars have been knocked to the floor. A bridge leading to another section of the Temple was destroyed , separating the two parts. Arrotesdus looked over at me. I was frozen, unable to comprehend the Sith's attack. Arrotesdus wasn't fazed: this wasn't the first time he had seen dead bodies. Arrotesdus looked at my younger self, trying to find a way to comfort me.

Arrotesdus sighed. "They'll pay. We'll get revenge for our fallen allies." I frowned.

"Revenge isn't the Jedi way, Arrotesdus." Arrotesdus stood up.

"Yeah, you're right. I guess I still have a lot to learn."

Arrotesdus mustered a small laugh and walked away. He looked around at the bodies. Near the door, he saw the body. The Jedi that had killed his father was dead. He had been killed by his enemy. Arrotesdus laughed at the irony of the situation. A voice suddenly echoed throughout the hall, "ENOUGH!"

My hand detached from Arrotesdus' arm. I was back in the hangar, dueling my best friend and brother. Our lightsabers were still pushing against each other. The fire was building in strength. Arrotesdus was full of fury. "How did you do that?"

"I've been training too, Arrotesdus." I retracted my lightsaber, moving away from Arrotesdus.

"I never knew." Arrotesdus laughed.

"You didn't know because you didn't care. The Jedi aren't good. They killed my father because he wouldn't let a man die. At least, you understand why I left the Order."

"I understand why you hate the Jedi now. Sectillo lied to me."

"Sectillo, what a sad man. He preaches about not forming attachments, yet he forms attachments. To power, to the Republic. He will do anything to stay in his cradle of power."

I thought about one of my last conversations with Sectillo. I had tried to say the same thing to him, but he refused to talk about it. Arrotesdus was right about the Jedi's attachments, but he was wrong about the Jedi being good. At the end of the day, they still wanted peace for the galaxy.

"The Jedi do have attachments to the Republic and Power, but they are still good. They want peace, Arrotesdus."

"No, they don't. If they do want peace, why do they always battle with the Sith?"

Once again, I couldn't argue with Arrotesdus' argument. My thoughts went to the library. I read about conflicts between the Sith and Jedi in every era. The Jedi started some of the conflict, too. Arrotesdus noticed my agreement.

"You know it, too, don't you? You've read about the Jedi-Sith Wars."

"Yes, I have. The Jedi aren't evil either though."

"And you think the Sith are?"

I bit my tongue at my last remark. Once again, I remembered something I had learned of earlier. I learned in the cave that the Dark Side was natural. The Sith seeked power, like the Jedi, and used the Dark Side; therefore, they used a natural power. They didn't commit evil actions to be evil.

"No. No, they're not."

Arrotesdus nodded his head. "So, if you think like I do, why are you still with the Jedi?"

I didn't have an answer. All my life, I wanted to be a Jedi, but I was discovering that my dream wasn't as real as I thought so. The Jedi had done so much that contradicted their beliefs and teachings. Even worse, my friend had lost his father because of the Jedi. I needed to know more though. I had to fully learn why and how Arrotesdus left the Order.

I rose my lightsaber and charged at Arrotesdus. He was prepared and swung his lightsaber at my side. Readjusting, I blocked his blow. We swung our lightsabers around, almost like a dance. I swiped my blade horizontally. Arrotesdus jumped over me and swung at my back. I spun my body and bent my wrist, blocking the blade's strike. Our blades started to push each other. I moved my hand, touching Arrotesdus' shoulder.

We were on Coruscant. The sky was dark, and the buildings were creating their own light. Arrotesdus was sitting by the Force tree. He was staring at the natural wonder, and his eyes were slightly sunken into his face. Arrotesdus was a young man now. He was getting closer and closer to becoming a Jedi Knight, like me. Arrotesdus stood up and walked into the main hall, fully healed from the Sith's attack many years before.

Arrotesdus walked to the Council room. The door opened and he walked inside. Sectillo was sitting in his usual spot, apparently waiting for Arrotesdus. "Good evening, Arrotesdus. What was it you wanted to talk about?"

Arrotesdus sat down. "I wanted to talk about Pleje, my father." The door closed and Sectillo folded his hands.

"I knew you would ask one day." The Master firmed himself in the chair.

"As you know, your father was sheltering an enemy of the Jedi and the Republic. Reioi had brought war to us. He killed Jedi and Republic soldiers. He destroyed citizen's homes. Reioi turned to the Dark Side."

"But why, Master? What caused him to turn down a dark path?"

"Reioi didn't agree with our involvement in the Great Hyperspace War. He thought the war was useless, that we were the ones who started it. Reioi refused to help the Jedi anymore and left the Order. He would return one day as our enemy."

"The Great Hyperspace War." Arrotesdus thought of the library. A few days before my brother had gone into the library, looking for history of Sith and Jedi conflicts. Like me, he scrolled through the book, discovering the many wars that had happened because of the two groups. Arrotesdus, in his mind, was beginning to see the Jedi as the instigators of the war and the evil group. "Master Sectillo, do you believe in everything that the Jedi have done?"

"I believe we have done what is necessary."

Arrotesdus nodded his head. He was expecting Sectillo to answer that way.

"Was it necessary to kill my father?"

"Arrotesdus, he was preventing the Jedi from keeping peace. Reioi needed to die."

"So the Jedi killed my father because they needed to kill Reioi?"

"He was preventing the Jedi from stopping Reioi's terrible deeds."

"Couldn't the Jedi just disarm my father? Couldn't they knock him unconscious?"

Sectillo was silent. He was looking for a way to answer.

"It was an in-the-moment decision, Arrotesdus. The Jedi clearly didn't act in his rational, calm mind."

"But we are trained to be calm under intense situations. The man who killed my father was a Jedi Master."

"Yes, he was."

"So, he was fully trained. He should've known better!" Arrotesdus rose his voice. He was standing up now, glaring at Sectillo. Sectillo unfolded his hands and stood up.

"I suggest you go to sleep, Arrotesdus. You are not in your right mind. We can't discuss this any further."

Arrotesdus stormed out of the room. He didn't look back, like I had done many times before. My brother ran to his room. He reached into his drawer and stared at his lightsaber. He wanted to grab it, to use it on Sectillo. Sectillo thought the Jedi were reasonable in killing his father. Arrotesdus could argue he was reasonable in killing Sectillo. Instead, he closed the drawer and went to bed. Tomorrow, Arrotesdus decided he would talk to his only close friend left, me. Maybe I could understand what Arrotesdus was thinking, Arrotesdus thought.

I was back in the hangar. Arrotesdus pushed me off his lightsaber. He charged at me as I tried to catch my footing. His red blade rose and fell on me. I blocked the lightsaber with my green blade. We swung our lightsabers in our own little dance. Arrotesdus jumped over me and swung at my side again. I stepped back, feeling the heat of the blade near my chest.

We circled each other again. Arrotesdus was thinking about leaving the Order when he talked to Sectillo. He decided to talk to me, too, but he never did. All I remembered was eating a quick lunch with him the next day.

"You never talked to me, Arrotesdus."

"Yes, I did. Don't tell you me you forgot. I left the Order that night, Protenuus."

"I know. I know. I never understood why, but I'm starting to. Tell me what happened that day."

Arrotesdus looked at the floor. I could see he wanted to tell me, but his anger was too controlling. He wanted to kill me, too.

"Well, you've seen everything else. I thought you would remember."

Arrotesdus rose his blade. He had enough of talking. He charged at me again. I charged at him, determined to get the information. We clashed blades repeatedly. I swung my blade at his head, making him duck low. Seeing an opportunity, I kicked Arrotesdus in the face. He fell to the floor. Using the Force, I threw the handle towards the fire and held Arrotesdus down. I was back in Arrotesdus' mind.

Arrotesdus had just woken up in his little room. He got up and reached in his drawer. Clicking the lightsaber to his side, Arrotesdus left the room. He had reached the main hall when he saw me on the other side. I had just returned from my training of the day. Walking with me was Obsarius, clearly content with my training. "You've improved, Protenuus. Ah, Arrotesdus, how are you today?" He said as I reached the duo.

"Very good, Master. Can I talk to Protenuus alone?" Obsarius nodded and walked off. Protenuus smiled.

"How can I help?"

"Well, I wanted to talk to you about something."

"Sure. Do you want to get something to eat? I just trained and I'm starving."

Arrotesdus smiled. "Sure, I just woke up, so I can get something to eat."

We walked down the hall to the kitchen. The room had a couple people in it. There wasn't much sound and food was on the counter, waiting for someone to grab it. Arrotesdus and I grabbed two plates. We sat by the window, letting some of the sun hit our faces. Arrotesdus' skin was warm and healthy, but I could see the skin around his eyes start to darken.

"So, what did you want to talk about?"

"Protenuus, do you believe what the Jedi are doing is right?"

"Well, of course. The Jedi are the peace protectors. Where would we be without them?"

Arrotesdus shifted in his seat. I was frowning. I didn't realize the turmoil Arrotesdus was feeling.

"What if the Jedi did terrible things like the Sith."

"Well, I believe the Jedi work for peace. Whatever they did for peace was necessary."

Arrotesdus shook his head. "Yeah, I guess you're right." He stood up. My brother nodded to me and walked away

"Wait, Arrotesdus, you didn't eat your food." Arrotesdus turned around and shook his hand. "Yeah, I'm not really hungry. I'll see you later."

Arrotesdus walked away, leaving me confused. He went into his room and meditated. He hadn't meditated for a long time, and he was having trouble meditating that day. Arrotesdus replayed the day his father died. He laid there, staring at his father, as the Jedi killed Reioi. Arrotesdus opened his eyes. The day had become night. Arrotesdus left the room. He decided he was done. The Jedi Order wasn't good; Arrotesdus would prove that one day. He went searching for his old friend, for me. Finding me near the Force Tree, Arrotesdus walked to my side. I looked up. "Arrotesdus!"

Without greeting his friend, Arrotesdus said, "I'm leaving the Jedi Order," and left.

I was back in the hangar. Arrotesdus was still on the floor, but he had thrown me off him. My back was laying on the ground. I looked around me: bodies still laid on the ground and the fire was starting to build even more. Arrotesdus stood up and called his lightsaber back to his hand. He ignited the blade and walked to me.

"I'm sorry, Arrotesdus. I failed you as a friend." I looked into his eyes. He was beyond furious now. His lightsaber rose over his head. "I was too focused on becoming a Jedi. I thought I would bring peace to the galaxy."

Arrotesdus hesitated in attacking. "You always cared about yourself. You only wanted to become a Jedi and forgot about your friend. I'm going to kill you."

In that moment, I had given up on the Jedi Order. Everything that they had done to me and especially to Arrotesdus was too great to ignore. They had contradicted their teachings so much. The worse of it was Arrotesdus had fallen so low because of them. I could sense Arrotesdus needed to end his pain. If he could end his suffering, maybe the galaxy could be safer after. I could finally protect the galaxy.

I threw my lightsaber away. "If you have to, do it." I spread my arms, opening my chest for Arrotesdus' swing. My thoughts went back to the vision. Arrotesdus stood over me; he rose his blade. My vision was clouded with red, and the vision ended. I didn't see what would happen after that.

Just like the vision, Arrotesdus rose his blade. Feeling my heart beat out of my chest, I watched. In some twisted way, I felt like I was with my friend in that moment. I could give him some release. Arrotesdus stared at me. The anger and frustration were in his eyes. I could see some sorrow, too. He rose his blade an inch higher and brought the blade down. My vision was filled with red, blinding me temporarily.

I thought I had died. I was One with the Force. I couldn't feel my body anymore and my mind felt free of my head. I could hear footsteps, but I didn't see anything. A loud _BANG_ brought me back into the living world.

I was alive. I looked at my body, free of any blade marks. I looked to my right. Next my head, a mark made by a blade had burned into the ground. My eyes darted around the hangar: I was alone. Arrotesdus' ship was gone. He didn't kill me.

I sat there, looking outside. The battle was still raging: explosions and blaster were seen in every direction. The fire was starting to fill the whole floor. Spots here and there, including where I was, was still free of flames.

I stood up and looked for my lightsaber. At this point, the blade was most likely caught in the fire. I was defenseless. If any Sith soldiers were on the vessel, I would surely be dead. My fears were heightened when several Sith fighters flew into the hangar.

Running out of the ships were at least thirty men. I rose my arms to surrender. One of the Sith soldiers, a captain most likely, laughed. "We have specific orders to kill you, Jedi, straight from General Arrotesdus himself." The soldiers hit me across the head with their blasters. "On your knees." I bent down. Grabbing my arms and putting them around my head, the captain rose his blaster. As I heard the soldier's fingers curl around the trigger, a blade ignited and impaled the captain. Soldiers screamed, "What are you doing, General?" as they fell to the floor.

I turned around and saw Arrotesdus attacking his own men. He was a blur, but still able to be seen. He rose his hands and choked his own men. Others, firing at him in self defense, were met with their own blasters as he blocked with his lightsaber. Arrotesdus hit others with lighting emerging from his fingers. The soldiers collapsed to the floor in agony, screaming their lungs out. Arrotesdus jumped to my side and handed me my lightsaber. "You dropped this." He smiled as I ignited my blade. My friend was back, for now. I blocked fires from every angle in front of me. Arrotesdus was to my back, blocking shots on that side.

Slowly and slowly, we eliminated all the Sith soldiers. As we finished, Arrotesdus retracted his blade. He looked at me and smiled. I had to ask. "Why didn't you kill me?"

Arrotesdus looked at me, "Because you knew the truth about the Jedi. You were willing to die to help me." He nodded and ran to one of the soldiers' ship.

"You don't have to go back. You can leave the Sith." Arrotesdus stopped as he entered the ship.

"I'm not going back."

"Where are you going then?"

"I need to be on my own."

"I know a place that's great for alone time. Granted, it will take a little to get used to." Arrotesdus laughed.

"I think I'll pass. If you need to find me, you can, through the Force." I nodded and Arrotesdus entered the ship. I watched as the ship left and disappeared into the stars.

The battle ended soon after. The Ship fleet didn't last long without their General. The survivors of the Sith fleet surrendered and went to Coruscant. Republic soldiers greeted me and congratulated me on the victory. Most of the ships, including mine, left Kashyyyk after. The stars thinned into lines for what felt like seconds. A large sphere appeared in front of the ships. The Destroyer slowly flew back into Corsucant's atmosphere and landed gracefully.

I don't remember much after that. I recall the travel to Council room being short. Sectillo was waiting for me, a broad smile across his face. "Congratulations, Protenuus! A great victory!" I smiled reluctantly.

"Thank you, Master."

"I heard Arrotesdus wasn't found after the battle ended. I realized that was a very hard decision for you, but I believe you made the right choice. You are truly a Jedi."

I looked at Sectillo. He truly thought that I had killed my friend. "Actually, Master, I didn't kill Arrotesdus. He left the battle, and the Sith." Sectillo gasped. He couldn't believe me.

"Then you are an even greater Jedi than I thought! You were able to pull your friend from the darkness."

I wasn't listening to Sectillo. I much desired to talk about something else. "Master, I need to confess something."

"What is it?"

"I must say that my trust in the Jedi has been falling."

"Yes, I noticed."

"Over the past few weeks, well actually since Arrotesdus left the Order, I've been looking for more."

"More?"

"More about the Jedi, and the Sith. I researched about the history of the Jedi and the Sith. We've always been at war with them, Master."

"Yes, we have. One day, a Chosen one will free the galaxy of the Sith."

"Master, I've come to realize something."

"Hm?"

"The true Nature of the Force. The Force doesn't favor one side like Jedi and Sith do. The Force desires balance. I believe if a Chosen One is to come, he or she will bring balance to the Force and not end the Sith."

"In order to bring balance to the Force, the Sith must be destroyed. When the Sith die, the Force is calm and, therefore, in balance." Sectillo was starting to get angry, but I didn't care, not anymore.

"How can something be in balance if one side has all the power?"

"When the Force is in balance, the galaxy will be in peace."

"Is that why the Jedi killed Pleje and Reioi?"

"So, Arrotesdus told you. What I told you was true, Protenuus."

"In what way?"

"Reioi went to Arrotesdus' home. He convinced Pleje to shelter him. By doing so, the Sith had brought Pleje his death."

"I see. You think Pleje's death was necessary then?"

Sectillo rose out of his chair. "What is it that you are really saying?" I stood up, keeping my eyes on Sectillo.

"I'm leaving the Order. The Jedi are hypocrites, Master Sectillo."

Sectillo was shocked. "How are we hypocrites?"

"You form attachments: to the Republic, to power. The Jedi don't seek peace. They do what is necessary to gain more control. The Jedi don't follow the Force. They only follow the Light Side because they are afraid of the Dark. They don't see its true nature."

"What is the true nature of the Dark Side?"

"Dark Side is emotion. Emotion is a natural part of life, Master. We shouldn't move away from a part of the force because it isn't as calculating as the Light. People who use the Dark Side act based on what their emotions tell them, not their mind."

"What happens when one is consumed by the Darkness?"

"Only one who is truly suffering can be consumed. In order to follow the Force, one must use both sides."

Sectillo walked towards me. His hands were shaking slightly, evident by his frustrated look.

"Do you know what I think, Protenuus?"

"No, Master."

"You are willing to feel sympathetic towards the Dark Side because your friend is a Sith. You don't want to classify the Sith as anything because you would classify your friend, as well. You don't truly understand the Force; you just want to protect your friend."

I frowned. "Protect? My friend doesn't need protection. What I want to protect is the galaxy. The Jedi don't protect."

"So, you want to protect? How will you do that if you leave the Order?"

"I will be with the people: I won't be restrained by the Republic or a worry for losing power because I will have none. I can answer cries for help and protect the people."

Sectillo shook his head. He was refusing to believe my words. "So, what will you be?"

I thought of the cave. I had finally understood why my future self had those beliefs and philosophies. His Code made sense, as well. I wanted to protect the galaxy and, so, I created a Code and a new follower of the Force that allowed me to do so. I looked at Sectillo.

" _There must be both dark and light. I will do what I must to keep the balance, as the balance is what holds all life. There is no good without evil, but evil must not be allowed to flourish. There is passion, yet peace; serenity, yet emotion; chaos, yet order. I am a wielder of the flame; a champion of balance. I am a guardian of life. I am a Gray Jedi._ "

Without saying another word, I left the room. Sectillo stood there. He didn't look as I walked out of the room like he had done so many times before. As my feet crossed the threshold, I had remembered a promise I made. I opened my lightsaber and dropped the green kyber. I reached into my pocket and placed the grey kyber into the lightsaber. "This is what I will be." I ignited the blade and showed the grey lightsaber. Sectillo stared in astonishment. I left the room and went to the main hall. I found Luc there, waiting for me.

"Well, that was one fight, huh?"

"Luc, I want to ask your help for something."

"Are you going to pay me?"

"If you help."

"Okay, what is it?"

I wanted to go back to the cave. I had a feeling I would find my future self in the cave again. Although I had learned much, there was still much more I needed to learn about the balance. One day, I may be able to teach others about the true followers of the Force.

"I want to go back to that planet."

"The swampy one? Why?"

"If I pay you, do I have to answer that question?"

Luc smiled. "Well, no. Lucky for you I still have the coordinates to that, uh, place. We should really give it a name."

I had already thought of a name. "Dagobah."

"Dagobah? That's an interesting word."

We walked to the hangar. I saw Luc's ship: big, but not slow. There were still vines on the ship, giving me a glimpse of the planet. The ship left without a moment's notice. The stars thinned and returned to circles as I was able to see the outer shape of the planet again. Mist was still covering the atmosphere, not allowing the surface to be seen. This time, the landing was much more graceful and the ship did not land in the water. Giving Luc the money, I got off the ship and found the pile of food T-7 had made for me. The food was on the verge of decaying into nothingness at this point. I looked back at Luc. He smiled and tilted his hat. "So long." I waved and walked off into the mist.

Now, I am just an old man. I made a home within the cave, waiting for the day another traveler would stumble upon this place. I discovered as much as I could about the balance, growing in its strength. I haven't seen Arrotesdus since our fateful day, but I can feel him still alive through the Force. The war has since ended, too, or at least the conflict has stopped waiting for the Jedi and the Sith to meet again in battle.

I have told you this story so that you, too, may know the true Nature of the Force. We all experience emotion and times of no emotion. To ignore one or the other, we become dangerous or robotic. To understand the Force, we must embrace both sides (to a certain degree). Through the Force, I was able to discover who I am. I am Protenuus, the first Grey Jedi. I hope you can discover who you are in searching through the Force, as well. Do not listen to the Jedi or the Sith that say you must follow one side. We become divided when we do and conflict arises. The Jedi, to this day, say I lied about the Dark Side because I cared too much for my friend. Many don't even mention my name, or know it, but I know the truth. Now, you know it, too. I hope whoever reads this story can keep it alive through the ages. May the Force Be with You.


End file.
